Feb 11 2009
About
Members of the Sustainability Working Group (SWG) are encouraged to participate with articles, material and commentary on the blog. Individual opinions are encouraged but do not represent SWG as a whole.
The Sustainability Working Group (SWG)
The Sustainability Working Group is a voluntary collective of primarily graduate students within the Department working together with a diverse array of disciplines from academia, industry, government, NGO’s and mining communities. Members of this group are motivated by the same goal – to promote and advance responsible mining practices, with a primary focus on social implications. The operational mechanisms and structure of the SWG have enabled momentum to be gained through several multidisciplinary educational and research networking initiatives. It acts to attract new students with diverse backgrounds, foster innovative research, develop relationships and networks, and create the space to discuss progressive ideas and projects.
There is a variety of expertise related to the mining field within the members of the group; contributing to healthy discussions and debates about the impacts and opportunities mining has in society. Non-department members have included people in the mining industry, NGO’s, different government organizations and other universities. Several professors have played key roles in the development and support of SWG. However, SWG has not and does not represent the views of the Department, nor does it represent all of the department’s initiatives relating to sustainability. There is often considerable debate and discussion about what role sustainability plays within the department and the industry as a whole, both within SWG and between SWG and other parties within and outside of the department. This group has an array of diverse research projects and initiatives and are doing researrch in areas across the globe.
History of SWG
SWG grew out of a small group which founded an NGO, the Center for Responsible Mining (CRM), in 2000. CRM’s goals were to provide an organization for individuals wanting to work on projects advancing the concept of socially and environmentally responsible mining, helping members develop contacts, prepare proposals, find funding for projects, and create a local forum for people to meet to discuss ideas, opportunities, and problems on a regular basis. CRM members were interested in research into areas such as sustainability indicators, the effectiveness of corporate spending on social and environmental issues, women in mining, health and mining, mine closure, ASM, land claims, voluntary initiatives and risk assessment and mitigation. The core group mainly consisted of Department graduate students, but also contained students and professors from other departments and universities: members were typically either international students or had extensive international experience. Many of the members participated in the first years of Professor Veiga’s groundbreaking Mining and Society graduate course.