Wounding the West or The Ethical Consumer

Wounding the West: Montana, Mining and the Environment

Author: David M M Stiller

Federal policy toward hardrock mining remains largely unchanged since the passage of the General Mining Law of 1872. That legislation was originally intended to promote settlement and economic development of the American West. A century and a quarter later, the region no longer requires congressional coddling, yet more than half a million mines and mill sites remain abandoned throughout the western states. These sites have created 180,000 acres of polluted lakes and reservoirs and 12,000 miles of contaminated streams and rivers. Montana’s Blackfoot River, made famous by Norman Maclean’s A River Runs through It, is one such battered body of water. Not only did the 1872 law essentially give the land and minerals to miners and mining companies—and it continues to do so today—the law also required no mine reclamation or water quality protection. State mining laws likewise required little or no reclamation.

Wounding the West traces the role of hardrock mining and its relationship with the American West by following the environmental history of one Montana mine, the Mike Horse, from its 1898 discovery, through its heyday in the 1940s, subsequent abandonment, and eventual cleanup under the coercion of a state law that many would consider ill-suited for abandoned mines. David Stiller argues that taxpayers should treat mining companies like the for-profit enterprises they are and insist that the hardrock mining industry pay a fair royalty for extracted minerals and then put this funding to work correcting the industry’s worst historical abuses.

Booknews

An environmental history of the Mike Horse hardrock mine from its 1898 discovery, through its heyday in the 1940s, subsequent abandonment, and its eventual cleanup. The mine is presented as the epitome of the unchecked abuses of the mining industry in the United States and an argument for the urgent reform, if not outright repeal, of the General Mining Law of 1872, which allows for such abuses. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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The Ethical Consumer

Author: Rob Harrison

'This book is not simply the best book on the remarkable phenomenon of today's ethical consumer. It is a gift of advice and insight, from the people that know best, to the cause of tomorrow. Many of the writers deserve the plaudits of being pioneers of a new consumer movement. These are the issues of our time' - Ed Mayo, Chief Executive of the UK's National Consumer Council (NCC)

Who are ethical consumers and why are they on the rise? Leading the way towards answering this question, The Ethical Consumer is an indispensable introduction to the subject. Exploring areas like boycotts and fair trade projects, it gathers together the diverse experiences of scholars, campaigners and business practitioners from the international community.

The chapters in this book explore:

- ethical consumer behaviours, motivation and narratives

- the social, political and theoretical contexts in which ethical consumers operate

- the responsibilities of businesses and the effectiveness of ethical consumer actions

Contributions are informed by a broad range of research methods, from case studies, focus groups to surveys and interviews.

The text is of interest to business related graduates, undergraduates and their tutors on courses relating to consumption. It will also be relevant to academics in other disciplines, as well as to politicians, producers, practitioners, campaigners and not least consumers.

Table of Contents:

	Foreword
	Introduction	1
	Defining the ethical consumer	1
1	Philosophy and ethical consumption	11
2	The consumer as economic voter	25
3	A brief history of consumer activism	39
4	Pressure groups, campaigns and consumers	55
5	Informing ethical consumers	69
6	The effectiveness of ethical consumer behaviour	89
7	Case studying ethical consumers' projects and strategies	107
8	Using existential-phenomenological interviewing to explore meanings of consumption	125
9	Modelling consumer decision making in fair trade	137
10	Identifying and profiling apparel label users	155
11	Focus groups on consumers' ethical beliefs	173
12	Surveying ethical and environmental attitudes	189
13	Corporate disclosure and auditing	207
14	Meeting the ethical gaze : challenges for orienting to the ethical market	219