Composting your Aminal Doll!
Did you know that your Aminal doll is a bio-nutrient?
Aminal dolls were designed with the intent to make a fully recyclable product that can disappear naturally, without contributing toxic chemicals that poison our soil, air and waterways, or the huge amounts of material waste in landfills. Instead, Aminals are made from all natural, organic materials that can nourish your garden! All Aminal dolls are stuffed with 100% unbleached, unprocessed, chemical-free organic cotton and dyed with low-impact vegetable dyes. Aminal dolls contain no petro-chemicals and no synthetic materials.
As your Aminal doll ages it will change. Over time, the stuffing will move around and the colors might fade a bit. We are proud of that change because it shows the dolls for what they really are – 100 organic, safe and sustainable. We want to be part of a new ethic and a new aesthetic that is in harmony with the world in which we live. In a world filled with excessive amounts of waste, there is no such thing as throwing something "away". “Away" has never existed in the first place.
We believe in honesty in materials and we hope Aminal dolls can help change our relationship to the objects we use and enjoy. We can no longer afford the cycle of buying, consuming and throwing away. Everything we use comes from and goes back to our environment, one way or another. However, in nature there is no such thing as waste – matter returns to the earth, nourishes the soil and in turn feeds new growth. So has your doll reached the end of a long, happy, well loved life? Is it ready to return to the earth and be turned into vital nutrients? If so, we can help. Grab a friend and have fun learning how to participate in nature’s own way of recycling!
1. FIND THE RIGHT SITE
You will want to set up your compost outside. Backyard, porch, rooftop, in the garden, anywhere your compost bin can fit and has room to breathe a little will work. Ideally this would also be a place where you can easily add ingredients to the bin and get the compost out once its finished.
2. CUT IT UP
This is a very important step for your Aminal doll. All Aminals must be cut up properly before being thrown into the compost. (In fact, cutting everything you put in your compost bin into one inch pieces helps the whole process cook faster.) Then your doll will be disposed organically back into the earth where he came from!
3. ADD THE RIGHT INGREDIENTS
This includes everything from vegetable and fruit peelings to teabags, toilet roll tubes, cereal boxes, eggshells, and most importantly--your Aminal doll! But be careful not to add things such as pasta, rice, bread, meat, fish, oil... no cooked food what so ever and no paper products that have been bleached or dyed with synthetic inks. Leaves are a very important ingredient, so be sure to add lots of those before layering with scraps. Note: the material must be turned once week.
4. THROW IT IN
After your doll has been prepared properly... throw it into the compost. Now follow the next step very carefully.
5. AND WAIT
Now its to wait for your Aminal doll to decompose! The composting process can take anywhere from 6-9 months so be patient. After the time has passed, your little Aminal will be part of a rich and fertile compost, ready to be mixed with as soil and used to grow in your garden or farm!
“To eliminate the process of waste means to design things—products, packaging,
and systems—from the very beginning on the understanding that waste does not exist.”
-Cradle to Cradle, William McDonough and Michael Braungart
Some helpful links:
http://vegweb.com/composting/
http://wilderdom.com/permaculture/permaculture.html
http://www.epa.gov/waste/conserve/rrr/composting/index.htm
http://extension.missouri.edu/publications/DisplayPub.aspx?P=G6957
http://www.organicgardening.com/feature/0,7518,s1-5-21-829,00.html
http://www.alternative-energy-news.info/cradle-to-cradle/