The u.n. named 'worldwide crisis' from gold mining no one is talking about
Bob Donofrio is the creator of Futura Jewelry (@futurajewelry), a brand that creates a global curation of iconic jewelry designs using only certified Fairmined Ecological Gold. (At present, it's the only brand to do so.)
After a life-changing discovery a few years ago of the threat that mercury from small-scale gold mining poses to people and our planet, he founded the brand in efforts to support a cleaner future and better social and environmental standards in the industry.
On this podcast episode, Bob sheds light on how mercury emissions has been dubbed a global crisis by the United Nations; why Fairmined Ecological Gold, specifically used in jewelry, is necessary to improve the practices in gold mining (though gold is also used for other things like computer chips); how the creation of beautiful, meaningful, and timeless designs can encourage deeper appreciation for fashion rather than drive overconsumption; and more.
To start, get a glimpse below into the conversation between Bob and Green Dreamer Podcast's host, Kaméa Chayne.
“I knew that if I was going to make a difference here, I had to give people an option they didn’t have before.”
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This is a conversation on Green Dreamer with Kaméa Chayne, a podcast exploring environmental regeneration and intersectional sustainability from ideas to life. Subscribe to Green Dreamer on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, or any podcast app to stay informed and up to date on our latest episodes.
On the importance of giving people better options:
“We can’t just keep talking at people; we have to give them something.
Jewelry is something that has been a part of human culture for millennia—we love to adorn ourselves with it. And where Futura comes in is that I knew that if I was going to make a difference here, I had to give people an option they didn’t have before.”
On discovering the global crisis from gold mining:
“I was doing some independent research and I came across this whole thing about gold.
What I discovered is that, unfortunately, 35 percent of the mercury emissions that we suffer from every day and every year come from this gold-mining sector. Seventy percent of that gold gets used in jewelry.
So for me, as soon as I read that, a light bulb went off. The first thing I did was I went back to the people I worked with for all those years and I asked a simple question: ‘Did you know?’
And I found out that many of them did.”
Bob’s closing words of wisdom:
"I think that when you believe in something, you gotta be all in—not one foot in and one foot out—and just live with the consequences.
Hopefully, if you believe like that, it always happens. You gotta be there a hundred percent and not have any fear."
