Project EverGreen has awarded its first Because Green Matters scholarships to Amy Hegwood and Tao Fan. Both will receive $2,500 awards to assist in preparing for careers in the green industry.

In announcing the winners, Den Gardner, executive director of Project EverGreen, said, “It was gratifying to see the interest in the initial year of our scholarship program and we feel that the overall high quality of the applicants is reflected in our 2006 winners. We are pleased to help support their desire to work in the green industry and to contribute to the role it plays in enhancing our environment and our economy.”

Amy Hegwood is working toward an Environmental Horticulture degree at Gwinnett Technical College, Lawrenceville, Ga. She has been active in providing horticultural therapy for special-needs children. Skilled in plant propagation, she has a career goal to work in a botanical garden or arboretum helping educate both children and adults about the need to preserve and protect green spaces.

Tao Fan is a junior at Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah. She was motivated to study landscape management after coming to this country from a crowded, polluted Chinese city. Her dedication and ability have won her the praise of her instructors, and a scholastic ranking in the top 5 percent of her class. Her career goal is to become a landscape designer and give something back to the communities she lives in.

To qualify for a Because Green Matters scholarship, students must major or minor in a green industry related field such as horticulture, plant sciences, botany, agronomy, plant pathology, water management, etc. Eligibility, as determined by a committee made up of members of the Project EverGreen Board of Directors, extends to two- and four-year program students attending institutions that offer turf, landscape and golf management curriculums. Information on how to apply for scholarships to be awarded in 2007 can be obtained by accessing www.projectevergreen.com.