PSU: Installing Sustainably Harvested & Manufactured Wood Furniture

In Blog, Green Manufacturing, Local Sourcing, solid wood, Student Engagement, Wood is Good by Amos Kober

Almost ten years ago, we partnered with Plymouth State University (PSU) to furnish their state-of-the-art ecologically sensitive residence hall, Langdon Woods.

We continue to work with PSU on new projects to this day.

Building Awareness And Empowering Choices

One reason we take sustainability so seriously is because we want to inspire green values in the next generation. It’s important that students understand their school is investing in the future of the planet.

More specifically, students need to know that they can make a difference with the furniture they use.

What kind of difference?

They can mitigate climate change, reduce waste, create wildlife habitat, vitalize local economies through locally sourced products and businesses, and much more.

Most importantly, students can recognize that the sustainability of the furniture on which they sleep, study, and relax every single day has a profound effect on future generations.

To this end, we encourage our university/college partners to let their students know about the sustainable pedigree of their DCI furniture.

And that’s exactly what happened recently at Plymouth State University.

Inspired by Sustainability

Inspired by DCI’s green values, the sustainability team over at Plymouth State University developed this flyer (see below). They are hanging it in their residence halls to build student awareness around sustainability.

It depicts DCI’s unique vertical integration process.

Vertical integration (or chain of custody) means that we own every stage of the supply chain and production process.

From raw trees and rough lumber to milling, manufacturing, and installation, DCI safeguards the sustainable pedigree of our solid hardwood furniture.

The graphics and illustrations below depict the transformative journey from forest trees to finished furniture. The accompanying narrative highlights many of the sustainable practices that define our manufacturing process.

Locally Made

One set of fun facts noted below reflects DCI’s commitment to domestic and local manufacturing.

The bedroom furniture we made for Plymouth State University’s Merrill Place was custom built using 750 local logs or roughly 275 trees.

Once the lumber was harvested, it spent over a month traveling through different stages of the factory, taking over 5000 man hours to complete. All of that work was performed by local men and women in the north country of New Hampshire.

Local manufacturing of this sort drives and sustains the small town economies of the Northeastern United States.