In an ancient oak forest in the mountains of West-Central Romania in Rosia Montana it was planned to place Europe's largest open gold mine. The Canadian-based company needed the 2,000 people relocated and 900 homes eliminated.

"The company plans to use hazardous cyanide compounds to separate the gold and silver from the rock. The mine's waste rock then would form a 185 metre-high dam across the Aries River valley, immersing a nearby village. A hazardous cyanide storage pond, together with tons of waste laden with heavy metals, would cover as many as 600 hectares or nearly 1,500 acres. As a result, the Aries River, the most important water resource in the region, is at serious risk of pollution, threatening the health and lives of 100,000 people."

Most of gold mining involves the release of cyanide into our environment. The environmental activist Stephanie Roth was just recently awarded the San Francisco-based Goldman Environmental Prize for halting this project und thereby preventing serious pollution and social dislocation.

Many Australians, like Bob Brown, Eileen Kampakuta Brown, Eileen Wani Wingfield, Jacqui Katona and Yvonne Margarula were previously also awarded the Goldmanprize for their grassroot environmental work.

More on consuming the Earth quickly can be viewed via  O. Wrede's site

An international study on the state of the planet finds that the human species does not only ruin the conditions for life for many species and life-sustaining systems, but undermines the continuation of their own species. Some of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment findings are that:

"Over the past 50 years, humans have changed ecosystems more rapidly and extensively than in any comparable period of time in human history, largely to meet rapidly growing demands for food, fresh water, timber, fiber and fuel"

"Humans have increased the species extinction rate by as much as 1,000 times over background rates typical over the planet's history (medium certainty)"

"10-30% of mammal, bird, and amphibian species are currently threatened with extinction (medium to high certainty)"

"Approximately 60% (15 out of 24) of the ecosystem services evaluated in this assessment are being degraded or used unsustainably"

"The degradation of ecosystem services often causes significant harm to human well-being and represents a loss of a natural asset or wealth of a country"

The full report results can be viewed Additionally there are many resources on the site visualising the actions of our species.

Die ersten Bananen aus dem Garten geerntet. Die Fledermäuse (Fliegende Hunde) sind schon vorher rein und haben kräftig zugelangt. Kleine Frösche in den Stauden singen. Sehr lecker und süß.

Work out your own ecological footprint on this Earth with The Global Footprint Network

An Australian player gives their perspective on sustainability, food systems and our footprint here.