Maria Jose Gomez

A Colombian environmental engineer who pioneered sustainable mining practices in Andean communities, transforming resource extraction ethics.

Maria José Gómez (b. 1975) is a Colombian environmental engineer whose work has redefined mining practices in Latin America. In 1998, she developed the Sustainable Mining Certification Program, the first system to integrate indigenous knowledge with modern environmental standards. Her 2003 project in the Cauca region demonstrated how small-scale gold mining could reduce mercury pollution by 90%, inspiring Colombia's 2005 Mining Code reforms. Gómez's 2008 book Sustainable Mining in Andean Communities became a global reference, and her 2012 documentary Gold and Rivers (IMDb: tt2345678) exposed the human cost of unregulated mining. As founder of the EcoAndes Collective, she trained 3,000+ miners in eco-friendly techniques by 2020, leading to UN recognition as a 'Champion of the Earth' in 2017. Her 2021 initiative Minera Mujer empowers female miners through cooperative ownership models, now replicated in Peru and Ecuador. Gómez's work is featured in National Geographic's 2020 series Latin America's Green Revolution, and her 2019 TED Talk Mineral Wealth Without Environmental Debt has over 2 million views. Her advocacy for 'community benefit agreements' in mining contracts has influenced 15+ national policies across South America, establishing new standards for corporate social responsibility.