[Jewelry making - Article 00276] - Re: [Orchid] Responsible Gold

[lee]

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>     Do you also feel guilty about all the plastic water bottles you
>     use? And the aluminum cans? Steel cans? Paper? The electricity to
>     power your computer and your flex shaft, that was made with nuclear
>     or coal energy? So, feel free to get worked up about gold use, but
>     feel guilty about all the rest too. 

    This argument has been echoed by others on this list. I personally
    see it as fallacious. 

    Imagine going to a doctor for help in overcoming the nicotine habit,
    only to be told "well, you're also sedentary, overweight and your
    eating habits are 

    not the best; you must tackle it all immediately or just forget
    about it and continue as you have been." Most of us would immediately
    recognize this as bad advice. 

    The argument that we must not seek to address any of the world's
    ills unless we are prepared to overcome them all immediately is
    similarly flawed, and is at its root an argument guaranteed to
    paralyze any movement towards productive change. 

    My counter-argument is that this world has inequities and injustices
    aplenty, more than any one person can take on. We must deal with it
    the same way we would eat an elephant- pick a spot and take a bite,
    and where you begin doesn't matter so much as the fact that you
    begin. 

    So I said all that to say this; there may not be any one great
    answer to the question of responsible gold, but it is good that the
    question is asked and 

    the possibilities explored. The fact that other social and
    environmental ills also exist in no way invalidates the question. 

    There are several approaches if one seeks to minimize ones
    culpability in the social and environmental issues connected with
    gold- one can work in silver or other metals, one can conceivably
    purchase gold directly from a producer which mines it in a socially
    and environmentally responsible manner. One can use techniques like
    kum-boo which utilize minimal amounts of gold to good effect as
    surface ornamentation. One could lessen one's consumption by using
    depletion-gilded tumbaga. One can lobby legislators to enact better
    regulation of the mining industry. One can seek to educate the
    public as to how current mining practices make gold unattractive in
    its human and environmental impact, and encourage adornment with
    other metals. 

    I am sure that these are just a few of the many possible ways to
    address the problem. I think it is ironic that if the question were
    one of a technical nature, this list would likely be flooded with
    helpful advice and innovative solutions, but that responses to a
    question of social responsibility are in some cases dismissive. 

Lee

 
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