From the Inbox: It's a golden opportunity to stop the Pebble Mine

Tiffany and Zales have already taken the “No Pebble Pledge.” Now it’s time for Signet, which owns the Kay and Jared jewelry stores, to do the same. Please sign our Petition urging Signet to take the Pledge now. The more companies that take this pledge, the more momentum we build toward stopping the Pebble Mine and saving Bristol Bay! There is nothing beautiful about the colossal Pebble Mine project being planned for Alaska’s Bristol Bay watershed ... nothing romantic about killing salmon, poisoning wildlife or contaminating their habitats with waste from a massive gold and copper mine. That’s why NRDC is urging leading jewelry retailers to take the No Pebble Pledge: a promise to buy no gold from the disastrous Pebble Mine. Please sign our Petition to Signet Jewelers. They are the world’s largest specialty jewelry retailer, the company behind the Kay and Jared stores. Urge them to do what Tiffany, Zales and others have already done, and say NO to Pebble Mine gold. We’re not throwing down the hammer -- yet. We’re first taking a positive and diplomatic tack to get Signet to do the right thing. So no matter how you feel about the jewelry industry, please join this effort to build the kind of market-based opposition we need to stop the Pebble Mine. Because it MUST be stopped. The very name “Pebble” Mine is bitterly ironic, because this mine would be anything but small: it would be a massive, 2,000-foot-deep, two-mile-long gold and copper mine, expected to churn up 10 BILLION tons of mining waste, laced with toxic chemicals. You and other BioGems Defenders have stood behind Alaskan Natives and local fishermen by taking a powerful stand against Pebble Mine. Thanks to you we’ve been able to deliver more than 100,000 Letters of Protest to Britain-based Anglo American, and another 98,000 to Mitsubishi: two of the principal players in the international mega-consortium behind Pebble Mine. But we also need to cut off demand for Pebble Mine gold before the mine is even built! Jewelry retailers are critical to the mine because jewelry demand represents 80% of global gold production. More than 30 jewelry retailers, including Tiffany, Zales and Helzberg Diamonds have already taken the No Pebble Pledge. But so far, Signet hasn’t. There is reason to be optimistic. Signet Group was one of the first jewelers to sign the “Golden Rules,” which promises responsible gold sourcing. Let’s encourage them to back up this statement now -- and take their environmental responsibility even more seriously. We believe that Signet will join others in their industry and voluntarily take the No Pebble Pledge, once they see just how strong the opposition to Pebble Mine is. It’s up to us to show them! Help take advantage of this “golden opportunity” to STOP Pebble Mine. Please urge Signet to take the No Pebble Pledge now. It’s a simple, fast, effective step you can take to cut off the demand for Pebble Mine gold -- and show Anglo American and Mitsubishi that digging their dirty mine is not only a bad environmental decision, but a bad business decision, too. Thank you for taking action today! Sincerely, Peter Lehner Executive Director Natural Resources Defense Council