Oro Verde® Finalist In World Challenge 2008

Introduction:

Oro Verde is one of the pioneers of the movement to create ethically sourced jewelry. They have developed a certification system for ecologically responsible, artisanal mined gold.

Now their efforts have drawn international attention, as they are a finalist in a global competition sponsored by BBC. Read their press release below, and more importantly, be sure and vote for them at this link: http://www.theworldchallenge.co.uk/html/finalists_08.html

~Marc Choyt, Publisher, Fairjewelry.org

Oro Verde®, a Colombian producer’s programme for artisanal gold mining, has been selected as one of the 12 finalists in World Challenge 2008.

World Challenge is a global competition organized by BBC World News, Newsweek and Shell. It rewards projects and small businesses from around the world that have shown enterprise and innovation at a grass roots level.

Oro Verde®from Choco, Colombia has been selected as a finalist among more than 700 initiatives this year.

Oro Verde® is a unique initiative in the world that developed a bottom-up certification system for environmentally responsible practices for artisanal gold mining as a strategy to protect one of the most biodiverse ecosystems of the planet -the Choco Bioregion in Colombia, and to recognize the social and cultural heritage of the ancestral communities that inhabit the region. We invite you to learn about us at www.greengold-oroverde.org.

Oro Verde® metals are sold in green market niches where customers are willing to pay a premium over the international price used to protect one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots and local livelihoods. Profits are reinvested in local development projects.

Online voting to select the winner project started on October 1st and closes on November 21st at the following site:

http://www.theworldchallenge.co.uk/html/finalists_08.html

The experience of Oro Verde® as a sustainable gold mining programme has contributed to bring change in the industry and people today believe in a different way to become involved with the development of artisanal mining communities. Oro Verde® in Colombia is a great example of what can be done for the 13 million small-scale miners around the world. That is why we would love to receive your votes!

Thank you in advance!

Sandra Hernández G.
Marketing & Commercial Division
Amigos del Choco Foundation – Oro Verde® Program
Tel: + 57 4 3330188
E-mail: cgg at greengold-oroverde.org
Colombia

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