Final Days to Nominate Environmental Volunteers for Cox and The Trust for Public Land's 2017 Cox Conserves Heroes Awards Program in Louisiana

Call for nominations deadline approaching; $20,000 to be donated to local environmental nonprofits

BATON ROUGE, La., June 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- At the beginning of June, Cox Communications, in partnership with The Trust for Public Land, launched Louisiana's 2017 Cox Conserves Heroes program to honor local environmental volunteers.

Nominations for volunteers who are creating, preserving or enhancing outdoor spaces are being accepted at CoxConservesHeroes.com through 5 p.m. EDT on June 30. The program is seeking nominations from Acadiana, Baton Rouge and New Orleans.

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.

Local judging panels, comprised of civic and environmental leaders, will select three finalists who then compete for Louisiana's 2017 Cox Conserves Hero award. The winner, chosen through an online public vote, will receive $10,000 to donate to his or her selected nonprofit beneficiary. The two finalists each will 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.

Louisiana's Cox Conserves Heroes Timeline:

• Nominations:  June 5 – June 30
• Voting:  August - September
• Winner Announcement: Early November

Patrick Armstrong, Matt Thomas, Bart Everson, Jenga Mwendo and Rory McCracken are Louisiana's previous Cox Conserves Heroes.

As either a finalist or winner's nonprofit of choice, the following Louisiana organizations have received financial support from the Cox Conserves Heroes program: Friends of Lafitte Corridor; Jefferson Beautification, Inc.; Lafayette Square Conservancy; Louisiana Environmental Action Network (LEAN); New Orleans Food and Farm Network (NOFFN); Operation Sudden Impact; Parkway Partners; Quality Deer Management Association (QDMA) – Louisiana State Chapter; ReCover Acadiana; The Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation, The University Lakes Improvement and Preservation Association (TULIPA) and Reef Environmental Education Foundation (REEF).

Cox Conserves Heroes was created through a partnership between The Trust for Public Land and Cox Enterprises, the parent company of Cox Communications, to honor local conservation volunteers. 

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, Georgia, Florida, 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 Cox Communications:
Cox Communications is a broadband communications and entertainment company, providing advanced digital video, Internet, telephone and home security and automation services over its own nationwide IP network. The third-largest U.S. cable company, Cox serves approximately 6 million residences and businesses. Cox Business is a facilities-based provider of voice, video and data solutions for commercial customers, and Cox Media is a full-service provider of national and local cable spot and digital media advertising. Cox is known for its pioneering efforts in broadband, voice and commercial services, industry-leading customer care and its outstanding workplaces. For nine years, Cox has been recognized as the top operator for women by Women in Cable Telecommunications; Cox has ranked among DiversityInc's Top 50 Companies for Diversity 11 times. More information about Cox Communications, a wholly owned subsidiary of Cox Enterprises, is available at www.cox.com and www.coxmedia.com.

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.

SOURCE Cox Communications

For further information: Media Contacts: Cox Communications, Jeremy Theriot, 225-237-5167, jeremy.theriot@cox.com; or Cox Enterprises, Joanna Coker, 678-645-7318, joanna.coker@coxinc.com; or The Trust for Public Land: Kristen Anderson, 415-495-4014, kristen.anderson@tpl.org