Gold looks tarnished once the environmental costs are considered. Fortunately for Christmas wish lists everywhere, several jewelry companies are staying away from "dirty gold."

Antarctica, the icy bottom of the world, is one of the planet's last great wildernesses. With no permanent residents, the continent is managed by a treaty, which was signed by 12 nations in 1959 and was renewed in 1991. The treaty allows these countries, including the U.S., to conduct research in Antarctica, but calls the continent a natural preserve, "devoted to peace and science." But now another country down under is trying to undermine the treaty.

Mining is no friend of the planet: erosion, deforestation, groundwater contamination, silting, the list goes on. Here's a more direct look at another of its impacts: the human cost.

The Devil's Miner, a documentary by Richard Ladkani and Kief Davidson observes the thousands of miners, hundreds of them children, scouring the silver mines at Cerro Rico, the "rich mountain" outside Potosi, Bolivia.

Environmentalists are up in arms over a proposal in the House of Representatives that could spur the biggest sell-off of public lands – including territory in national parks and wildlife refuges – in modern American history. The goal? To help pay down the national deficit.