All That Glitters, Isn’t Gold

Because gold is a limited resource and harvesting it causes such devastating environmental impacts, I wanted to share what you can do personally to reduce contributing to the demand of raw and newly mined material and also make a little green while you're at it.

Before making any new gold purchase, you should ask yourself how badly you need the item. Is it something you'll be wearing/using for years to come? Is it important that the item is made from actual gold, or would fake gold fulfill your needs (e.g. costume jewelry, gold plating, etc.)? If the answer to these questions is no, it may be better to simply forgo the purchase. If you've already purchased the gold item(s), the next thing you can turn to is recycling.

Recently, as I was doing some cleaning and purging, I sorted through my jewelry box and found many of the random pieces of jewelry I had purchased over the years. My initial reaction was to pull over the trashcan to discard them, thinking, "this jewelry is probably all fake and worthless." As I began to throw things out, I suddenly recalled seeing a gold recycling kiosk in the mall. I decided to collect my small mound of, possibly fake, jewelry and take it in. I gave the vendor my items and he began testing each piece of jewelry by rubbing it on a tile and applying a few chemical droplets to the sample. The vendor weighed the jewelry and then, voilà, he offered me $180 in cash! I was happy to know that this precious metal's life would get another chance and pleasantly surprised that I was able to earn a few dollars in the process. 

Here are some other ways that you can be more eco-friendly with gold use:

• If you buy gold jewelry, be sure to purchase recycled gold through vendors such as BrilliantEarth.com or HarmonyMetals.com or from fair trade certified and environmentally responsible vendors.
• Because of gold's great properties as a conductor, there is a small amount of gold content in just about every modern electronic device.  Recycle your old laptops and phones so that the gold can be reused. Trading in an old phone when purchasing a new one may even make you eligible for a discount. (Future post to come on electronic waste and recycling)
  
• Trade in or recycle your phone at Best Buy for a Gift Card, or recycle old phones or broken phones for cash at EcoATM.com

At the end of the day, all I want is for our planet to be healthy and happy.  At the same time, I understand that there will always be some level of impact that comes with human survival and the growth of our population. I get it! However, in order for us to survive, we MUST 1) respect our planet and recognize the magnificent life-nourishing gifts that Mother Nature gives us, 2) replenish our lands and seas in order to have a sustainable solution for continued life, and 3) take responsibility by actively becoming part of the solution to keep the balance of the give and take relationship that we have with our planet.