The story of Green Futures is one of good news and hope in which unemployed people can find a new and exciting future in the field of fynbos landscaping and conservation. It all started as a dream of the Lutzeyer family, owners of Grootbos Private Nature Reserve, to train unskilled people from local communities and to find work for them in fynbos landscaping and horticulture. What started as a dream became reality through a public/private partnership project between Grootbos and DEG (German Investment and Development company). The DEG agreed to support Grootbos on a rand-for-rand basis over a two-year period to establish the Green Futures college and training program. The education center has been built on Grootbos, a team of lecturers employed, a training curriculum developed. The first year’s intake of eager ‘gardeners in the making’ began their training in June 2003.