Green Options

The January 8th, 2009 6.1-magnitude earthquake in northern central Costa Rica places the Crucitas gold mine project in a new light. Crucitas is located about 60 miles north of the earthquake’s epicenter so the Crucitas area was not impacted significantly. But could it have been? The Associated Press reported that the 82 mega-watt Cariblanco hydroelectric dam near San Jose was damaged in the earthquake and will be out of operation for one year. Bridges and highways were also destroyed. So it seems only reasonable to wonder how a tailings dam would hold up, especially considering how a release of a huge amount of toxic wastewater after an earthquake could grossly compound the environmental destruction wrought by it.

The Crucitas project outline calls for an open pit operation with a tailings pond for catching the water used in cynidation. Its tailings pond will have a dam crest 80 meters (260 ft.) high and 18 meters wide with some rock lining for erosion protection. Infomine.com’s project summary mentions no infrastructure measures for prevention of a tailings pond dam failure due to an earthquake, and possible aftershocks. The site’s project profile also provides no information about seismic activity in the region. However, the Observatorio Vulcanologico y Sismologico de Costa Rica website states that the area near the proposed gold mine is potentially dangerous: “Historically, the central region of Costa Rica has been very active seismically”.

It warms my heart when I come across a company that touches all aspects of the triple bottom line - financial, social and environmental. It really gets my blood pumping when that company produces yummy yarns.

Created by Nadine Storyk Curtis, Be Sweet is one such company that has all those lines covered. While living in South Africa, Curtis became enamored with the local craftspeople and wanted to share in their creativity and resourcefulness.

Working with a rural South African community, Be Sweet offers over 15 different yarns that are hand spun and dyed by women who work within a job creation program. All of Be Sweet’s yarns are made from natural fibers and most are created from using leftover yarn tid-bits and environmentally friendly fibers like bamboo.