Celebrating Earth Day & 14 Years of SDSG!
A Note from SDSG Board Chair, Kimberly Jackson Thayer
|
|
Time flies when you’re having fun! The past 14 years have flown by at SDSG while developing negotiation tools to advance sustainable development, tackling natural resource development inequity through improving mechanisms for impact management and benefit sharing, educating future leaders, and evaluating social justice through the lens of sustainable practices in the mining and renewable energy sectors.
SDSG has accomplished so much in 14 years. Our anniversary is an opportunity to reflect on our journey and acknowledge the progress that we continue to make along the way. On March 25, 2021 we celebrated with a cheerful and lively virtual get-together. It was a wonderful opportunity to reconnect with dear friends and colleagues that the pandemic has kept away from us for so long. We took time to share what has taken place in our lives and careers, and reveled in the immense talent and enthusiasm that has graced SDSG’s presence—and keeps enriching our organization in ways both big and small.
I think back to my first introduction to SDSG in 2010 when I was a student at the University of Denver and an SDSG Law Fellow working alongside Kristi Disney Bruckner, Luke Danielson, and a group of law students that shared a passion for sustainable development. Now, I get to continue working with SDSG as Board Chair, and fondly point to so many SDSG projects I worked on as a Law Fellow that are still making a difference to governments, communities, academics, and legal practitioners today—a solid testament to the remarkable work and indelible mark that SDSG continues to leave around the world.
We invite you to learn more about SDSG and celebrate with us by watching this video highlighting our accomplishments in 2020: click here to watch. Although the pandemic threw our in-person work for a loop, SDSG broadened its audience and impact in 2020, contributing to cutting-edge research on responsible governance of mining and just transitions to low carbon energy production, facilitating online dialogues, developing an online course and virtual mining law summit focused on community engagement, and more!
As an important member of SDSG's network, we value the time, feedback, and financial contributions you make to advance our mission year after year. If you'd like to make a special donation to celebrate Earth Day and SDSG's 14th Anniversary, just click here! We look forward to seeing what the next 14 years have in store for SDSG and to celebrating our 15th Anniversary with you in 2022…perhaps even in person!
Kimberly Jackson Thayer
SDSG Board Chair
|
|
New Publication on Gold Supply Chains
"All That Glitters Is Not Gold" Published in International Bar Association's Journal of Energy & Natural Resources Law
|
|
Written by Ashley Smith-Roberts with co-authors Kristi Disney Bruckner, Verónica Morelli Bellido, Hugo Frías Ossandón, Meera Nayak, Nicole M. Smith, and Linda Jaramillo Urrego, the article explores the impact of COVID-19 on artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) supply chains in Peru between spring 2020 and early 2021. This analysis delves into the effects of the pandemic on the ASGM sector and the illicit flow of gold, including the effect of the mandated lockdown on the Peruvian economy, the price of gold and its impact on artisanal and small-scale mining communities, the socio-economic consequences of the quarantine on Peru's ASGM population, and the impact of lockdown on the gold supply chain. The article spotlights sector-specific impacts, including impacts on Indigenous Peoples, women, children, and migrant workers in Peru. Case studies from Zimbabwe, Colombia, Bolivia, and Chile explore how different governments have responded to COVID-19 and impacts in the ASGM sector. The article concludes with recommendations for governments and other key stakeholders to consider for supporting and strengthening ASGM communities, the gold supply chain, and the pursuit of formalization in Peru and around the world.
The article is available online now on the Taylor & Francis website and is expected in a forthcoming print edition of the Journal of Energy & Natural Resources Law. It is part of a three-year study on gold supply chains in Peru, carried out by the Colorado School of Mines in partnership with SDSG and funded by the National Science Foundation. The purpose of the study is to research ASGM in Peru, propose avenues to disrupt illicit segments of those supply chains, and promote formalization of the sector. The study is carried out by an interdisciplinary team of engineers, social scientists, and attorneys. It is important because illicit gold mining in Peru has been linked to environmental damage through uncontrolled mercury use and deforestation; poor working conditions and violence, including child labor, human trafficking and extortion; and illegal cross-border trade and criminal networks. Accordingly, this research has implications for human health and well-being, the environment, and national and international security.
|
|
Happy Earth Day!
An International Celebration of Mother Earth
|
|
|
|
Earth Day, established by a United Nations Declaration as "International Mother Earth Day," is celebrated around the world on April 22nd. Earth Day recognizes the need to protect the Earth and its ecosystems. It calls on us to contemplate the interdependence of all human beings and living species and the planet we inhabit. We hope that you will take action to Restore the Earth (the official theme for 2021) today. Learn more here. Happy Earth Day!
|
|
Contact Us
We look forward to hearing from you!
You can reach us at:
p. 1-303-912-0855
|
|
Donate
Your donation will help us work for a future where resource development respects human rights; aligns with the economic and social objectives of local communities; and protects the natural environment.
|
|
Support us when you make purchases through
|
|
Sustainable Development Strategies Group | 1-303-912-0855
116 North Taylor Street, Gunnison, CO 81230 USA | www.sdsg.org
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
