Final Days to Nominate Volunteers for California's Cox Conserves Heroes Program

Cox honoring environmental volunteers in Orange County, San Diego and Santa Barbara; $20,000 to be awarded to local environmental nonprofits

SAN DIEGO, April 23, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Cox Communications, in partnership with The Trust for Public Land, is seeking nominations for environmental volunteers in Cox's service areas in Orange County, San Diego and Santa Barbara. Nominations are being accepted at CoxConservesHeroes.com through 5 p.m. on April 27 for volunteers who are creating, preserving or enhancing outdoor spaces.

Judging panels, comprised of local civic and environmental leaders, will select one finalist from each area who will then compete to be named California's 2015 Cox Conserves Hero. The winner, chosen through an online public vote, will receive $10,000 to donate to his or her selected environmental nonprofit beneficiary. The two finalists each will receive $5,000 for their nonprofits of choice.

Nominee activities must be performed on a volunteer basis and may not be part of an individual's paid job.

Types of projects considered:

• Advocacy, education and/or community outreach for parks and open space
• Cleaning up/refurbishing a park or public place
• Creating a program that gets people to public places
• Donating and/or assisting in the acquisition of land for public use
• Helping to provide public access to a previously inaccessible place
• Planting/ tending to a community garden
• Volunteering at a local park
• Water conservation/protection-related projects

In California, the Cox Conserves Heroes program has honored more than 65 environmental volunteers and donated nearly $250,000 to their local nonprofits of choice. The program is sponsored locally by Bank of America and the University of San Diego, as well as supported by Orange County's KX 93.5.

The Cox Conserves Heroes program was created through a partnership between The Trust for Public Land and Cox Enterprises, the parent company of Cox Communications. 

Cox Conserves Heroes also takes place in Arizona, Georgia, Florida, Louisiana, Massachusetts and Virginia.

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 TV 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 new media advertising. Cox is known for its pioneering efforts in cable telephone and commercial services, industry-leading customer care and its outstanding workplaces. For eight 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 nine times, including the last eight years. 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. Nearly ten million people live within a ten-minute walk of a Trust for Public Land park, garden, or natural area, and millions more visit these sites every year. Learn more at 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' 50,000 employees and their families to engage in eco-friendly practices.

The company's sustainability goals are to send zero waste to landfill by 2024 and become carbon and water neutral by 2044. The company also presents the Cox Conserves Sustainability Survey, a nationwide survey that examines sustainability opportunities and challenges for small and medium-sized businesses.

Social Media: #CoxConservesHeroes and #CoxConservesHero

SOURCE Cox Communications

For further information: Cox Communications: Ceanne Guerra, 858-836-7306, ceanne.guerra@cox.com, Cox Enterprises: Elizabeth Olmstead, 678-645-0762, elizabeth.olmstead@coxinc.com, The Trust for Public Land: Kristen Anderson, 415-495-4014, kristen.anderson@tpl.org