Announcing the 2019 National Cox Conserves Hero

Today, Cox Enterprises and The Trust for Public Land announce Diana Christopulos as the 2019 National Cox Conserves Hero. As the recipient of this honor, Diana has chosen The Appalachian Trail Conservancy as the beneficiary of the $50,000 award, courtesy of the James M. Cox Foundation, the Cox-affiliated foundation. This is in addition to the $10,000 awarded when she won at the local level in Virginia. 

Diana received this award through a public voting process, conducted on CoxConservesHeros.com between Oct. 1–15, which recognizes her passion for the environment and the wide scope of her volunteer work.

"Congratulations to Diana for being recognized as our 2019 National Cox Conserves Hero and inspiring others to take an active role in conservation," said Maury Wolfe, sr. director, Corporate Social Responsibility and Public Affairs, Cox Enterprises. "We’re proud to shine a light on the good work that Diana and all the other nominees do on behalf of their local communities. Not only does their work have a direct impact on the environment, it also inspires others to join the cause, which is how lasting, sustainable change occurs."

Diana is a dedicated advocate for the environmental community of Roanoke Valley in Virginia. She’s a leading voice to reduce the region's carbon footprint, save public and private open spaces and minimize the adverse environmental impact of development projects.

Diana serves as president of the Blue Ridge Land Conservancy, the region's largest private land conservation organization, which holds conservation easements on more than 20,000 acres of private farm and forest land to be preserved in open space in perpetuity. She also serves on the Presidents Leadership Council of the Roanoke Appalachian Trail Club, which maintains and protects parts of the Appalachian Trail that runs through the Roanoke region. And, as co-founder and past president of the Roanoke Valley Cool Cities Coalition, Diana led the campaign to have local governments determine their carbon footprints and reduce their energy consumption.

Diana educates the public on conservation issues — often through op-eds in the Roanoke Times. She even helped to persuade the Mountain Valley Pipeline to relocate its pipeline route to mitigate the environmental impact. Her work to decrease the region's carbon footprint contributes to its overall reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.

“Protection of the views, wildlife, trails and communities around them is a worthy thing to do,” said Diana. “We need a refuge; we need to go back to nature and get the peace and comfort that we find there. If we don’t do something now, particularly on the East Coast, then we’ll lose it. And, once we lose it, it’s gone.”

The Cox Conserves Hero program serves to honor environmental volunteers who create, preserve or enhance shared outdoor spaces in their local communities. To date, the national Cox Conserves Heroes program has donated $990,000 to environmental nonprofits and honored more than 200 volunteers. For more information about the program, visit www.coxconservesheroes.com.

About Cox Enterprises 

Cox Enterprises is dedicated to building a better future through our leading communications, automotive services and media companies. Our major operating subsidiaries include Cox Communications, Cox Automotive and Cox Media Group. Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, Cox is a global company with $21 billion in annual revenues and brands that include Autotrader, Kelley Blue Book and Cox Homelife. Founded in 1898 by Ohio Governor James M. Cox, the company is a family-owned business committed to its people, communities and the planet. To learn more about Cox, visit coxenterprises.com, view our Sustainability Report at coxcsrreport.com, or us follow us on Twitter via @CoxEnterprises and @AlexTaylor_Cox.

About The Trust for Public Land

The Trust for Public Land creates parks and protects land for people, ensuring healthy, livable communities for generations to come. Millions of people live near a Trust for Public Land park, garden, or natural area, and millions more visit these sites every year. To support The Trust for Public Land and share why nature matters to you, visit www.tpl.org.

Media Contacts:

Leticia McCadden

Cox Enterprises

678-645-8192

leticia.mccadden@coxinc.com

Keith Maley

The Trust for Public Land

415-800-5177

Keith.Maley@tpl.org