Resource Active is a consultancy serving the natural resources industry, addressing the critical shortage of narrative. The world's timeline for achieving carbon neutrality remains unclear, as does humanity's potential spread throughout the universe. Neither will be possible without mining.
Mining is straightforward: improve the site from its original state and pay the cleanup costs upfront. That this system largely succeeds should be a point of pride. If mining companies had marketing departments, this fact might be better known. However, they do not. The reality is that everyone wants the next iPhone, but no one wants a mine in their backyard.
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What will you find here?
This website serves as a collection of articles, links, and the occasional glimmer of hope that the future won’t be an unbroken chain of disasters. Changing minds is never easy.
Engaging with the mining industry can feel hopeless. So much effort goes into covering every angle, except for telling a compelling story. The approach to hashtags is ham-fisted. Always behind the trends, mining companies triumphantly unveil their diversity initiatives to tepid applause. But this stems from the simple truth that no desirable club would have you as a member. Anyone sufficiently talented would work in another industry. That’s why I write: to prove myself wrong.
Who am I?
My name is Aurelian Baša. I have been in the mining industry for a few minutes and have some ideas. Born in a mining town, it feels like a return to my origins. It's not yet cool, it may never be cool, but if it ever becomes so, I look forward to saying I was here before it was cool.
Originally, I aspired to be a diplomat, putting all my eggs in that basket. It didn't work out, but I like to think it endowed me with intangible talents, better imagined than described.
I experienced my first taste of success, however modest, leading a 3D printing startup that was ahead of its time. I'm still not sure about the timing, but I managed to pivot a few times and exit with a buyout offer. It was rewarding in all the ways one would hope, except financially.
My next shot involved designing wearable technology in tandem with NSERC, the Canadian government's science and technology incubator. There was a lot of enthusiasm but not many takers. If you're interested in a vest that heats you, tracks your location, and plays all your favorite songs, it's not too late to get in on the ground floor.
I realized that pitching an idea is far more important than the idea itself. After a few more boiler rooms, I found my way back to the world of mining, just in time. There's a lot of adherence to the 'this is the way we've always done it, 12 point Times New Roman' mentality. People enjoy reading. Well, I enjoy reading and writing. And so, here we are.
Creating something beautiful and inoffensive is not possible. Struggling tooth and nail, I've managed to produce a few things that don't look entirely designed by committee. A common refrain is 'people only care about drill core,' which is another way of saying build it and they will come. The mining industry is rife with zero interest rate phenomena, and there might be more if there wasn't such a heavy taboo on making things look remotely pleasant to the eye. It's odd, really, since if you look at what was being made a few decades ago, there were leaflets with gold inside, knit cashmere sweaters with company logos, and hardcover bound volumes charting the company's history. Let's bring that back.
But the bigger story is what’s right in front of us: currency, commodities, and the connections between them. This is where I find myself spending more time and where I hope to make more announcements if you follow along.