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Winter 2005-06
Welcome to the Winter 2005-06 No Dirty Gold campaign update.
Oxfam America and EARTHWORKS distribute this quarterly bulletin to update No Dirty Gold campaign members on the campaign's progress and the opportunities to get more involved.
In This Issue
LEAD STORY:
NO DIRTY GOLD CAMPAIGN ACTIVITY:
NO DIRTY GOLD IN THE NEWS:
Lead Story
Indigenous Peoples and Mining Tour
From October 10 to 14, the No Dirty Gold campaign organized a cross-country tour in which partners from indigenous groups spoke at 4 U.S. college campuses to draw attention to the impacts that mining and oil development are having on communities.
The tour began on October 10 at George Washington University in Washington, DC and went on to the Colorado School of Mines in Golden, Colorado; University of Utah in Salt Lake City; and the University of Nevada at Reno. At each stop, representatives of the Western Shoshone (of Nevada, Idaho, Utah and California), the Sipacapanses peoples of San Marcos, Guatemala, and the Chiquitano peoples of Bolivia shared their experiences with Native American groups, and faculty and students from the mining, engineering, law, and international studies departments of each school.
The No Dirty Gold campaign chose the week of Columbus Day and Indigenous Peoples Day to underscore mining's impacts on indigenous communities and the necessity of community participation in extractive industry projects.
Learn more:
No Dirty Gold Campaign Activity
October Ad in National Jeweler and Action Alerts Get Retailer Attention
In Fall 2005, the campaign ran ads in National Jeweler, a leading US jewelry magazine, calling on jewelry firms, and other businesses that use gold, to insist the gold they buy and sell is produced in ways that do not harm communities, workers, and the environment. You can see the ad.
In conjunction with the ad, in October, NDG e-activists wrote to the the CEOs of Sterling Jewelers, Zales, Rolex, Cartier, Fred Meyer and Fortunoff, asking them to endorse the Golden Rules and support more responsible sourcing of gold and precious metals. Thanks to your actions, these retailers received thousands of faxes within a few weeks!
In November, many of you responded to our request to call your local Zales store urging them to sell consumers gold that is mined more responsibly. The pressure generated by these actions has certainly gotten the jewelers attention! Thank you to all of you who participated.
Learn More:
No Dirty Gold Partner Honored for Work to Protect the Environment
NDG partner Father Marco Arana of Peru was named one of three runners-up for Condé Nast Traveler's annual Environmental Award, in recognition of his work to prevent exploration on Cerro Quilish, a mountain at the center of the watershed for the Peruvian city of Cajamarca. Condé Nast Traveler is a prominent international travel magazine.
When Newmont Mining proposed expanding its Yanacocha mine to Cerro Quilish, Cajamarca residents took to the streets to protest. They objected to gold mining on Quilish on the grounds that it is a sacred place for the indigenous population as well as a source of irrigation and drinking water for nearby valleys and the city of Cajamarca. Father Arana helped mediate discussions between protesters and Newmont, which resulted in the company agreeing not to continue exploration on Cerro Quilish.
Learn More:
No Dirty Gold in the News
The New York Times "Price of Gold" Feature Series
Between October and December 2005, The New York Times ran a series of four front-page investigative features showcasing the environmental, social and economic costs of gold mining. The features were based in part on the reporters' visits to No Dirty Gold partners in Peru, Guatemala, Ghana, and Nevada, and included interviews with Fr. Marco Arana in Peru and Hannah Owusu-Koranteng in Ghana.
You can read the series at: www.nodirtygold.org
About EARTHWORKS and Oxfam America
 The No Dirty Gold campaign is supported by EARTHWORKS and Oxfam America. We work with local organizations and communities around the world on issues related to mining, human rights, and the environment. To learn the objectives of the No Dirty Gold campaign, please visit our website at www.nodirtygold.org, and download our report Dirty Metals: Mining, Communities, and the Environment.
Many thanks for your support! Please send in your suggestions or comments to info@nodirtygold.org.
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