Hiwassee College Forestry Major, Caitlan Swanson, of Cleveland, Tennessee measures the volume of wood in a pine tree located on the college campus.

Hiwassee College has taken a leading role in implementing both sustainability and green initiatives on its campus located just north of Madisonville, Tennessee.  Campus gardens supply fresh fruits and vegetables for use in the Rymer Dining Hall and aluminum cans, metal and paper products are collected for recycling.

In an interview, Hiwassee College Director of Facilities, Richard Woodard, stated: “In the last six months, Hiwassee College has recycled approximately 4,000 pounds of paper.”  How many trees does 4,000 pounds of recycled paper save?  According to a study entitled “Paper Facts” completed by Northern Illinois University, for every 2,000 pounds of paper recycled, 17 trees are saved.  Therefore, Hiwassee College has saved approximately 34 trees in just six months.  “Assistant Professor of Forestry, William Edwards, said: “This effort goes to show how implementing just one sustainability project can rapidly ensure a major and lasting impact on our environment.”

Hiwassee College forestry students measured mature Virginia pine trees located in a forest on the campus in an effort to show just how large an area is occupied by 34 trees.  Their experiment concluded that two acres of forest resources have been saved so far by the campus-wide recycling efforts.