Earth Day is April 22nd but we would like to make it Earth Month here at Isadoras, as we believe buying antique jewelry is an excellent way to protect the environment. Because as more and more couples try to make green
choices about everything from free trade coffee they drink to the fuel efficient
car they drive, Isadoras offers what it has always has offered--A way of
preserving the past and the future.
Isadora’s sells antique and vintage
jewelry. Antique jewelry is a consumer conscious alternative for couples trying
to avoid not only conflict diamonds but also gold that is mined in such a way
that its procurement has a damaging effect on the environment.
By purchasing an antique ring a couple
makes an investment in the future, both theirs and the worlds. They also
preserve the past by curating and loving jewelry that has been around, in many
cases, longer than they have.
Why is Gold Mining Bad For the Environment?
Mining for gold has never
been a clean business, but the grime used to come primarily from dirt, as
people used pickaxe, shovel and sifter to cull precious metal from the earth. Today it is a far more toxic endeavor.
Gold, today, is
primarily produced by blasting the ground and digging up enormous tons of ore,
creating large open-pit mines. The gold is culled in a process called “cyanide
heap leaching”, leaving behind is not only beautiful gold but also tons of
contaminated rock as well as toxic mine waste or “tailings”. These tailings contain dozens of
hazardous materials including arsenic, lead, mercury and cyanide. If not properly taken care of, they
work their way into the air, earth and water.
The EPA stated hard rock
mining generates more toxic waste than any other industry in the United States. Which is why the “No Dirty Gold”
campaign says the only way to buy “clean” gold is to opt for vintage or
recycled jewelry.
FOR A MORE COMPREHENSIVE
LOOK AT THE ENVIRONEMENTAL IMPACT OF THE GOLD MINING INDUSTRY PLEASE CHECK OUT
THE NEW YORK TIMES ARTICLE: Behind Gold’s Glitter: Torn Lands and Pointed
Questions: http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/24/international/24GOLD.html?pagewanted=all
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