As with oil and gas, the extraction of minerals and metals from the earth has been a “necessary evil” in the industrialization of humankind. The environmental destruction and human rights abuses of the mining industry are well-documented. This week’s guest on Sea Change Radio runs a company that partners with mining corporations to make the mining itself more resource-efficient. Liz Dennett is the CEO and founder of Endolith, a Colorado-based startup company that uses microbes to improve the efficacy of copper and lithium extraction. We learn about the science behind Endolith’s technology, talk about the environmental impacts and challenges of metal and mineral mining, and discuss whether there’s a moral quandary in doing business with these big, often nefarious, companies.