Suring, WI —Diversified Woodcrafts, Inc. (DWI), an industry-leading manufacturer of educational furniture and casework, is excited to announce the opening of another location in De Pere, WI.
In addition to the plant in Suring, WI and the office in Crystal Springs, MS, the new facility features more office, warehouse, showroom and assembly space, and supports the company’s growth strategy. Opening a space in the area also gives the company access to more talent in Northeast Wisconsin.
“The De Pere facility gives us the space to display the evolution of our product,” said David Jahnke, president of DWI. “It will also allow us to expand our talent pool as we continue to grow in the future.”
We do more than build educational furniture and casework. We create innovative spaces for schools and colleges to help educators empower today’s learners. Whether a school needs a collaborative space for young scientists to experiment or an area for artists to create, we have them covered. We also have the perfect combination of sizes, colors, finishes and materials to give classrooms a fresh and modern look. The best part? All of our products are manufactured to tough SEFA standards and feature an earth-friendly, chemical-resistant UV finish—so schools know they’re getting top-quality furnishings when they choose us.
Fortunately, schools have many opportunities to turn this statistic around. There are many ways to promote sustainability that reduces waste and teaches kids about taking care of our environment. Check out our favorite ways to improve sustainability in the classroom:
1. Choose the right furniture.
One of the best ways to improve sustainability in the classroom is by choosing the right furniture. Unfortunately, there’s a lot of classroom furniture out there that isn’t made with the environment in mind.
But the good news? There are companies out there that do make environmentally-friendly classroom furniture! At Diversified Spaces, the wood we use to build our furniture is sourced from sustainably-managed forests.
You’ll also want to make sure the furniture you choose complies with MAS Certified Green®. The Materials Analytical Services, LLC (MAS) Certified Green® is an emissions testing laboratory specializing in helping companies enter the green market with low VOC emitting products.
The program also helps consumers (like you) easily identify interior construction products, furniture, and furnishings designed and manufactured to reduce chemical VOC emissions.
Want to get your students involved? Plant a class garden. Growing a garden provides a wonderful hands-on learning experience and can also help students feel more connected to the environment.
If you want to take it up a notch, consider teaching them about hydroponics. Hydroponics is the process of growing plants in sand, gravel, or liquid, with added nutrients but without soil.
Broken pencils, plastic bottle caps, wrappers, you name it! Trash is all around us. But instead of throwing the rubbish out, let your students get creative with it! You can do a quick Google or Pinterest search to find fun ways to repurpose them. It’s better to give the trash a second life rather than it going to a landfill.
4. Educate through STEM activities.
Students are the future – that’s why it’s important to teach them about sustainability at a very early age. What we teach them about sustainability now will affect their lifestyle choices in the coming years. It will allow them to take responsibility for their actions, plan for the future and maintain a healthier planet for generations to come. Here are some great STEM activities you can implement in your lesson plans to give students a chance to learn more about environmental science and sustainability.
While incorporating sustainability into schools and classrooms may not be the easiest initiative, it is certainly achievable. Implementing the sustainable practices mentioned above will not only teach students to take care of our planet but turn them into environmentally-responsible citizens.
Suring, WI — Diversified Spaces is excited to announce the addition of Sean McWherter as sales and project coordinator. McWherter will be responsible for working with customers, getting measurements and discussing product options for Spaces+, previously called the Casework Assistance Program (CAP).
“The project-based business is a rapidly growing area of Diversified Spaces,” said Tom Franta, vice president of sales and marketing at Diversified Spaces. “Sean’s 20 plus years of industry knowledge of design and environment layout will assist customers with optimal functional spaces. We are lucky to have such a wealth of knowledge join our team.”
Prior to this role, McWherter was a region manager at Diversified Casework. He was also an estimator early in his career and, most recently, assisted in customer assistance, sales and project management.
About Diversified Spaces
Diversified Spaces does more than build educational furniture and casework. They create innovative spaces for schools and colleges to help educators inspire today’s learners. Whether a school needs a collaborative space for young scientists to experiment or an area for artists to create, Diversified Spaces has them covered. They also have the perfect combination of sizes, colors, finishes, and materials to give classrooms a fresh and modern look. The best part? All of their products are manufactured to tough SEFA standards. They also feature an earth-friendly, chemical-resistant UV finish—so schools know they’re getting top-quality furnishings when they choose Diversified Spaces.
At Diversified Spaces, protecting our environment is important! That’s why we’re proud to announce that nearly all of our products are MAS Certified Green® compliant. Our product categories include:
The program also helps consumers (like you) easily identify interior construction products, furniture, and furnishings designed and manufactured to reduce chemical VOC emissions.
What are VOC emissions?
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are smelly and toxic chemicals that become vapors and gases as the wood finish on furniture turns from a liquid to a solid. Inhaling these fumes is extremely dangerous and can seriously compromise human health.
What makes us compliant with MAS Certified Green®?
Our products that comply with MAS Certified Green® are designed and manufactured to reduce chemical emissions to the indoor environment.
These products have also passed the program’s own rigorous product testing requirements with those of the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) Standard Method, the BIFMA furniture sustainability standards, and formaldehyde emission testing requirements of the California EPA with the conservative chemical emissions limits referenced by the US Green Building Council LEED and CHPS.
So, Why Choose MAS Certified Green® Compliant Products?
Choosing classroom furniture that’s compliant with MAS Certified Green® will contribute to a “healthier indoor environment” and help keep employees and students safe from dangerous VOCs.
Have more questions about MAS Certified Green®? Contact us today!
Educators know the importance of providing their students with hands-on learning to improve creativity, critical thinking, and STEM or STEAM skills. After all, it’s hard to ignore the importance after a study found that students who didn’t engage in hands-on learning were 1.5 times more likely to fail a course than students who did. But the good part is there are many ways to provide hands-on learning experiences, with makerspaces being one of the top choices.
What is a makerspace?
A makerspace is a collaborative and hands-on learning environment specializing in STEM or STEAM activities. It’s a flexible space for students to explore, tinker, create, discover, invent and more! Professionals in the industry have also referred to makerspaces as tinkering labs, learning labs or STEM labs.
Makerspace Benefits
Considering creating a makerspace in your school? If you haven’t already been convinced, here are a few of the many benefits:
Offers students an opportunity to create, innovate and explore
Helps students develop critical-thinking and problem-solving skills
Provides authentic, real-world learning experiences to help students develop real-world skills
Exposes students to new opportunities like utilizing new tools and resources to reach a solution
Promotes collaboration amongst peers
Makerspace Furniture Solutions
At Diversified Spaces, we’re big advocates of STEM and STEAM learning. That’s why we specialize in furniture for all skilled spaces – including versatile and mobile furniture for makerspaces. Take a look at our makerspace collection now!
If your school doesn’t already have a makerspace, it’s time. According to data from the latest national Speak Up Survey from Project Tomorrow, 31% of schools already have makerspaces of some sort while 23% have plans to implement one.
So, what are you waiting for? Let us help you create a collaborative learning space that promotes hands-on learning. Contact us today.
