Sustainability is one of our key priorities here at DCI. Part of our mission as a company is to make sure that our operation has net neutral impact on the biosphere. One key way that we reduce our ecological footprint is by using biomass fuel to power our manufacturing facility. This is what allows us to have a Zero Waste manufacturing plant. But first, what is biomass and why is it sustainable? What …
How To Get the Right Furniture for Your Student Athletes
Do you have a robust athletics program at your school? Do you struggle to find appropriately sized beds for athletes? If you do, how do you accommodate special housing needs and requests by student athletes, or your athletic department? At DCI, we know a lot about making furniture for student athletes. DCI has a long history of making furniture for Division 1 student athletes, Olympians and professionals. We supplied beds …
Looking for Climate Leadership? Look No Further.
In the last year, we’ve seen a lot of extreme weather events. Hurricanes, heat waves, hellish Western wildfires, withering droughts and more. If you’re like me, you might be tempted to attribute these weather events to climate change. But are the number and severity of extreme weather events truly increasing? And is climate change responsible? According to a recent article from Scientific American, the answer is yes. Droughts, wildfires, heat waves, intense …
How To Get The Best Quality Furniture For Your Residence Halls
How do you define value when it comes to residence hall furniture? Is it quality? Is it price? Because, in the end, we all want to get the best quality furniture possible. The truth is, not everyone agrees on how to assess value. For some, it’s the latest design. Others emphasize durability, craftsmanship, flexibility, sustainability, or customer service when they’re selecting a partner vendor. Obviously, you have to define your value …
7 Benefits of Vertical Integration When Buying Sustainable Furniture
I am a big fan of vertical integration. It saves time, money, and it’s great for the environment. But first, you might be wondering, what is vertical integration? You see, DCI is a vertically integrated company. That means that we own every single step in our supply chain. From forest to floor, we manage, own, and control every step in the sourcing, production, and delivery of our sustainable hardwood furniture. …
Case Study: Penn State University
Summary: Penn State residence halls use rigorous standards to help them assess the best value when they select their residence furniture. Students play a key role in helping determine the final selection through Penn’s innovative Best Value Process (BVP). Project Name: Penn State Residence Halls Best Value Process Location: State College, Pennsylvania Size: 780 Sets Building Type: Residence Halls Project Team: Penn State, DCI Product List: Adjustable Height Beds; Two and One-Drawer Stackable Under-Bed Storage Units; Study Desks; Two-Door …
A Study in How to Include Your Students in Selecting Furniture
How do you select your residence hall furniture? Do you leave it up to just a few key people? Do you get input from a wide array of departments like residence life, facilities, housing, and the Dean’s office? That’s pretty standard, and it makes sense for obvious reasons. But have you ever considered including your students in the selection process? Why would you want to do that? Including Students In …
Want to Empower Your Students? Include Them In Your Purchasing Process
Students are a passionate lot. They’re idealistic too. So it can be a valuable and edifying exercise to include them in your decision-making process as you choose your residence hall furniture. That’s exciting to me. Why? Because at DCI, we’re also passionate and idealistic. We believe it’s possible to craft world-class furniture that’s completely sustainable at the same time. And these days, more schools are using their purchasing power to set an …
The Benefits of Buying Locally Crafted Residence Hall Furniture
Buying local can be hard. In a globalized economy, much of what we buy is made with imported raw materials. And still more of it is manufactured abroad by American companies. Even though quality often suffers, the price is usually lower. And that globalizing trend isn’t going to stop anytime soon. But from a sustainability perspective, and in terms of thriving local economies, the benefits of local sourcing support American businesses more …
PSU: Installing Sustainably Harvested & Manufactured Wood Furniture
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 …