Show Notes
What happens after a mine site closes? We all know mining disrupts land, so proper land reclamation is a critical part of the process. Modern mining companies aren’t just cleaning up after themselves. The goal is to leave an area better, stronger, and more diverse than they found it.
We talk to Carleigh Whitman, Director of Environment at Teck Resources, about how the industry prepares a site for restoration long before it's mined, and how that process continues to evolve to meet local and global climate goals. Additionally, Daniel Desjarlais, Sales and Marketing Manager at Twin Sisters Native Plant Nursery, reveals why planting native plants and flora is the best thing for former mining sites...and why the days of spreading grass seed and planting conifers are officially over. It's time to hear how we're making the world better than we found it...one seedling at a time!
More from Why We Mine
It’s no secret the mining sector has experienced some recruitment challenges over the years. Things like public perception and a lack of trust, which we’ve explored in previous episodes, certainly deserve some of the blame. But if we’re going to ensure we have the materials we need for the green energy transition, the industry needs an influx of fresh talent.
What is the role of Indigenous Peoples in the global race to secure the critical minerals we need for the green energy transition? And how can the mining industry and Indigenous communities work together to forge an equitable future?
It’s one of the first metals human beings ever mined, and the first to be smelted, cast into molds, and alloyed with another metal. And today, copper has become just as important to humankind as it was to those early Sumerian, Egyptian, and Roman civilizations. But why is it so critical, and why do we need so much of it?
The term “critical minerals” has been getting tossed around a lot lately. Most people know that certain elements are essential to many modern conveniences and technologies we take for granted, like our smartphones and electric cars. But which metals are we talking about exactly, why are they so important to the green energy transition, how much of them do we need, and what’s the mining industry’s role in helping meet that demand?
What is trust? How do you measure it? And more importantly, how do you earn it back once you’ve lost it? Those three questions are at the root of a growing conversation within the mining industry.