Channel 2 WSB-TV and The Trust For Public Land Launch Atlanta's 2017 Cox Conserves Heroes Awards Program

$20,000 to be donated to local environmental nonprofits

ATLANTA, July 10, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Channel 2 WSB-TV, in partnership with The Trust for Public Land, today launched Atlanta's 2017 Cox Conserves Heroes to honor local environmental volunteers.

Nominations for volunteers who are creating, preserving or enhancing outdoor spaces are being accepted at wsbtv.com/coxconservesheroes through 5 p.m. on August 21.

Eligibility Criteria

• Nominee's activity creates, protects and/or beautifies an outdoor community space; 
• Nominee's activity is done on a volunteer basis and is not part of his or her paid employment;
• Nominee's activity inspires others to engage in community conservation.

A judging panel, comprised of local civic and environmental leaders, will select three finalists. The winner, chosen through an online public vote, will be named Atlanta's 2017 Cox Conserves Hero and receive $10,000 to donate to his or her environmental nonprofit of choice. The two finalists will each receive $5,000 for their nonprofits of choice.

Nonprofit of Choice Criteria

• The organization must be a public 501(c)(3).
• The organization's efforts must focus on environmental improvement.

Atlanta's Cox Conserves Heroes Timeline:

• Public Nominations:  July 10 – August 21
• Public Voting:  October
• Winner Announcement: November 14

Previous recipients of Atlanta's Cox Conserves Heroes award are Linda Cotten-Taylor, Tom Branch, Bob Scott, John Gordon, Donna Shearer, Na'Taki Osborne-Jelks, Angel Poventud and Don Wells.

In partnership with The Trust for Public Land, the national Cox Conserves Heroes program has donated nearly $800,000 to environmental nonprofits, and nearly 200 volunteers have been honored. Cox Conserves Heroes also takes place in Arizona, California, Florida, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Virginia and Washington and is part of the company's national Cox Conserves sustainability program that is celebrating its 10^th anniversary.

For more information, visit CoxConservesHeroes.com or Facebook.

Social Media: #CoxConservesHeroes and #CoxConservesHero

About Channel 2 WSB-TV:

The ABC Affiliate is part of Cox Media Group and ranks as Atlanta's number one local television station. The station also operates its website, wsbtv.com, its mobile site, wap.wsbtv.com, and airs MeTV on its digital channel 2.2.

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 within a one-half mile walk of 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.

About Cox Conserves:

Launched in 2007 by Chairman Jim Kennedy, Cox Conserves is Cox Enterprises' national sustainability program. Cox Conserves focuses on reducing waste and energy consumption, as well as conserving water. The program engages each of the company's major subsidiaries (Cox Communications, Cox Automotive and Cox Media Group) and encourages Cox Enterprises' 60,000 employees and their families to engage in eco-friendly practices.

OURCE Cox Enterprises

For further information: Kristen Anderson: The Trust for Public Land, 415-495-4014, kristen.anderson@tpl.org; Cox Enterprises: Joanna Coker, 678-645-7318, joanna.coker@coxinc.com