An article published on The Economist’s website yesterday explores the tarnished truths of gold mining. Gold mining is often a highly-destructive process, as gold is pulled from vast open-pit mines, and separated from other minerals with highly toxic chemicals:

Extracting a single ounce of gold requires the removal of at least 60 tonnes of rock, leaving a scar on the landscape. And extracting it from this rock often means leaching it out with cyanide.

The article discusses an organization called No Dirty Gold, which has fought to raise awareness of poor mining practices and increase interest in gold mined in more a more environmentally conscious manner. I think this is a fantastic idea. A vast majority of gold is mined for the creation of retail jewelry. Thus, dirty mining is a practice fueled by consumer demand. Make your voice heard, and take a stand against dirty gold.

photo from Elsie esq.’s Flickr photostream (cc)