This article was originally published by The Northeastern Loggers’ Association in the December 2023 issue of Northern Logger Magazine. Reposted with permission. Story and Photos By Ross Caron. At the start of this fall semester, students who moved into Dartmouth College’s Andres Hall were greeted with beautiful brand-new wooden furniture made from trees harvested on Dartmouth’s own land. Each student in the dorm was issued a bed, desk, dresser, and …
Case Study – Dartmouth and DCI’s Model of Circular Design
Over the last quarter century, a fascinating model of cradle to cradle product design has been unfolding in the New Hampshire North Country. In partnership with DCI—one of New England’s largest and oldest contract furniture manufacturers—Dartmouth College harvests trees from its own forest through its sustainable forestry program and DCI turns those logs into lumber and then long-lasting hardwood furniture. We then install this solid maple furniture, fashioned from Dartmouth’s …
How to Manage Furniture Supply Chain Disruption
Updated 3/2022 If you’re like a lot of purchasing officers or housing professionals in higher ed, you might be scrambling to ensure that you can fulfill your purchasing requirements for 2022. And that makes sense. Furniture supply chains have experienced a perfect storm over the last two years. The global pandemic and its cascading variants. The blockage at the Suez Canal. The US-China trade wars. Even climate change. For example, …
DCI Awarded $706,000 Community Wood Grant From US Forest Service
DCI will use the Community Wood Grant funds to install a renewable biomass cogeneration system to supply heat and electricity to its operation. As part of a decades long initiative to reduce the environmental footprint of our work, starting last year we applied for and won a series of major clean energy grants to upgrade the renewable energy system the heats our factory, kilns, and offices. The Forest Service Community …
Case Study: Sustainable Purchasing at Southwestern University
Summary Southwestern University hired a Sustainability Coordinator and embraced a commitment to zero waste on campus. They reached out to DCI to provide them with sustainable zero waste furniture to furnish two of their residence halls. The Oldest University in Texas Southwestern University (SU) is a private liberal arts school in Georgetown, Texas, just north of Austin. Situated on a 780-acre suburban campus with 1,430 undergrads, the school was founded …
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 …
Case Study: UC Santa Barbara
Summary: Creative collaboration and a passion for sustainable furniture solutions were the hallmarks of our partnership with UCSB San Joaquin Apartments. Together, we crafted a solution that featured modern design, solid hardwood, and local manufacturing. Name: UCSB San Joaquin Apartments Location: Santa Barbara, CA Size: 57 Apartments, 322 Bedroom Spaces Building Type: Multi-use Residence Hall Project Team: UCSB, DCI Product List: Bed, 3-drawer chest, Desk, Pedestal, Wardrobe, Dining Table, Coffee Table, TV Stand UC Santa Barbara UC Santa …
Case Study: Plymouth State University
Langdon Woods Residence Hall – The First LEED Gold Dorm in NH Summary: To compliment PSU’s state of the art sustainable Langdon Woods residence hall, DCI developed a locally-manufactured green residence hall furniture solution which featured FSC-certified solid hardwood and became the design standard across campus. Name: Plymouth State University’s Langdon Woods Residence Hall Location: Plymouth, NH Size: Approximately 500 sets of furniture Building Type: Multi-use Residence Hall Project Team: Plymouth State & DCI Product List: Beds, Chests, Desks, Wardrobes, Dining tables, & Chairs. Backstory …
How To Source Sustainable Furniture Materials For Residence Hall Furniture
At DCI, we strive to use sustainable furniture materials. We believe that making world-class furniture that lasts for decades doesn’t give us the right to pollute the planet. On the contrary, like humans have done since the dawn of civilization, we make furniture from solid hardwood. And we leave as light a footprint as possible. Through our sustainable vertical integration process, we ensure that our wood is sustainably harvested and nothing …
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