*The Green Gold of Columbia: /The Oro Verde Corporation/, by Sandra Hernandez
In this article, Sandra discusses the path breaking work in Columbia, where ecologically mined gold supports rural indigenous communities. **It should be noted that Oro Verde gold will soon be readily and easily available through a bullion company that is being developed by Greg Valerio.
Read Sandra’s story below.**
I am writing on behalf of the Oro Verde Corporation, for I would like to ask you to include us in the resource section of your book. In order to let you know a little bit more about Oro Verde ^TM metals, let me introduce you to our program:
The Certified Green Gold Program in Chocó ( Colombia ) is the first program of its kind in the world. It seeks to reverse the devastating damages caused to this unique ecosystem (a biodiversity Hotspot) by out-of-control large scale mining. Currently the initiative is being implemented in co-operation with 12 Afro-Colombian communities, in the municipalities of Condoto and Tadó. The project seeks an active participation from the communities, which are represented by the community councils.
The Oro Verde Corporation, which leads this program, was created in 2001 as an alliance between 2 community councils in Chocó (the Community Council of Alto San Juan – ASOCASAN – and the Community Council of Condoto – CCMC -), a local NGO (Las Mojarras Foundation – Fundamojarras -) and an NGO based in Medellín (Amigos del Chocó Foundation – Amichocó -). We seek to promote sustainable development and to support the communities of the Bio-geographic region of Chocó in improving their living conditions. This is done through research and training processes, through the promotion of alliances and productive systems and through the sustainable use of natural resources. Our main concern has always been for the communities to become empowered; to have them appropriate the projects we undertake together. The projects, which respond to the local reality, always address social, ecological and economical issues.
To present, our work has been focused on the Certified Green Gold Program and on the Analogue Forestry Program (Analogue Forestry is an alternative method of rehabilitating the forest and restoring the biodiversity of the region, by using species that are ecologically, socially, economically, and culturally compatible with the environment).
We buy the Oro Verde ^TM metals (gold and platinum) from certified miners, who receive a fair price for it and benefit from the programs we establish to improve their living conditions and foster food security. We then sell this gold to jewelers in Colombia, the United States, the United Kingdom, Denmark, and other countries. We charge a 10% premium over the international price of gold and a 5% premium over the international price of platinum; this [is used] in order to finance social and environmental programs in the region. Each jeweler receives a Certificate which attests to the origin and method of extraction of the material they are acquiring, and each end customer receives an informative flier which differentiates their jewelry from the rest. These fliers inform the end customer about the social and environmental aspects that he/she is promoting through the purchase of a Oro Verde ^TM jewelry.
Based on the success of this experience and the need to expand it to other regions, the Association for Responsible Mining (ARM) was created. This is a network of independent organizations in a global-scale effort to promote responsible standards and criteria for artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM).
We would like to invite you to visit our website: www.greengold-oroverde.org and ARM’s website: www.communitymining.org.
