Most U.S. school furniture is made overseas and from nonrenewable materials (steel, plastic, and composite). Increasingly, the product sustainability, the circular economy, and the benefits of natural materials are being shown to be important in learning environments.
To create a new market for low-value hardwoods, urban woods, and plantation resources by designing and producing innovative products, including wooden school furniture, Purdue’s Wood Research Lab has tested all strength and environmental attributes. At the same time, Purdue Extension is focusing on workforce development for Indiana’s wood products industry. An approach is to provide potential employment and entrepreneurial opportunities to residents with troubled pasts, underprivileged workers, and those needing a second chance in life by partnering with Purposeful Design https://pdindy.com, the Forest Service, Indiana Hardwood Lumbermen’s Association, Urban Forest Products and other industry players to train workers in furniture production and qualify for future work. Five training sessions were conducted on material properties, sustainability, manufacturing, and product development. A purposeful design production facility is under construction for future school furniture production.
Training participants (51) stated that the training sessions were excellent (92%) and that the content was practical to their needs and interests (83%). Attendees reported increased knowledge about topics from before to after training. Nine of 10 would recommend the program to others. The majority indicated the training would help them make future decisions (87%) and they could take actions based on acquired knowledge (73%). Participants reported increased interest in sustainability, material identification, product design, and troubleshooting production issues.
Purdue’s Wood Research Lab develops and tests wooden school furniture, and the Wood Products Extension team prepares training materials (videos, demonstrations, and handouts) and tools (manufacturing jigs) for school furniture production to teach workers how to build furniture. These efforts improve forest health by removing low-value timber and create needed employment training and opportunities in urban/rural areas, impacting Indiana’s forests, furniture production, and workforce development.