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Real Green Weddings
Engagement
Joelle had "read The Heartless Stone - a book which describes the violence, poverty, and suffering associated with diamond mining and cutting. So when we got engaged, we went down to a local arts market and bought an inexpensive silver ring for me and matching bracelet for Ethan. These served as 'tokens' of our engagement for the year, and saved us thousands of dollars for use on things that were more important to us than bling."
In writing an article for an issue of Green America's magazine, "Economic Action for Africa," Joelle "learned about the economic and social impact of gold mining. The mining of gold moves huge quantities of rock, and separates tiny amounts of gold using dangerous chemicals, often in some of the poorest regions of the world. The No Dirty Gold Campaign estimates that a single gold ring generates twenty tons of mine waste. Gold mining leaves behind toxins such as cyanide and sulfuric acid, which pollute air, soil, and water. And when mines exhaust the gold in a particular region, they frequently close up shop without repairing the ecological damage and economic
dependence left behind. In addition, gold mining has been implicated in human rights abuses in Ghana and the Congo."
"Once I saw the warmth and delicacy of Touch Wood Rings' hand-carved wooden rings, I knew that's where we'd get our wedding bands," says Joelle. "They're lightweight, have a natural look, and didn't cause the excavation of tons of mine waste the way gold might have."
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