Why don’t some student furniture manufacturers talk much about the materials that go into their furniture for college and university student housing? Maybe its because they aren’t as proud of how their products are made as we are at University Loft Company. ULoft student furniture is made from solid wood and is strong enough to withstand just about anything a college student can dish out. But there’s another reason that we at University Loft are so proud of our dorm room and student housing furniture products: they are green!
Yes, the ULoft commitment to our environment is pretty much an open book. Take a look at our Green Plan and you’ll start to understand why we feel so strongly about producing furniture for students in an environmentally responsible manner. It might be easier to cut down trees and not worry about the impact, but the right path isn’t always the easiest. At University Loft, since 1994 we’ve forged the path of being a good steward of the environment.
We use Environmentally Farmed Timber, or EFT, a type of rubber tree in our milled student furniture components. What makes this tree (Hevea Brasiliensis, or HB) an environmentally prudent choice? For one thing, it produces a form of rubber used in the production of latex during its growth cycle. So HB trees are usable even before they’re harvested!
HB trees are also fast growing, so they can be planted and harvested in about one-third the time as Northern Red Oak. This might not matter as much if the harvested wood wasn’t of high quality. But wood milled from HB trees are stronger than oak and share a similar look to the grain of oak furniture.
So that’s our green student furniture story, or at least an opening chapter. We think it’s a pretty good story worth telling. Don’t you?
Bob
The ULoft Blog Team
About University Loft Company and our solid wood modular residence life furniture:
Since 1984, when James Jannetides built a loft configuration for his own dorm room at Southern Illinois University, hundreds of thousands of college students have enjoyed better campus living thanks to University Loft furniture. Today, University Loft serves more than 1,200 colleges, universities and related student housing partners. As Jannetides’ says: “We are always learning, always innovating, and always improving … our environment, our products, and our service. We are University Loft Company.”