Finalists Named for Atlanta's 2015 Cox Conserves Heroes Program, Public Asked to Vote

Program to donate $20,000 to environmental nonprofits in Metro Atlanta

ATLANTA, Oct. 5, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Channel 2 WSB-TV and The Trust for Public Land are recognizing volunteers who are creating, preserving or enhancing shared outdoor spaces. Tom Branch, Julie Burroughs and Alan Toney have been selected as finalists for Atlanta's 2015 Cox Conserves Heroes program, and the public is being asked to vote now through October 26 at wsbtv.com/coxconservesheroes.

A total of $20,000 will be donated to local environmental nonprofits on behalf of the three finalists. Each finalist has secured a $5,000 donation for his or her environmental nonprofit of choice. The finalists are now competing for an additional $5,000 – bringing the total award to $10,000 for the winner's nonprofit of choice. The winner will be chosen through an online public vote.

Atlanta's 2015 Cox Conserves Heroes Finalists

Tom Branch transformed an overgrown space into Frazier Rowe Park. He has coordinated hundreds of volunteers to create a trail system and lead a forest restoration. The workdays bring families together and help the community participate in intergenerational activities like hiking, gardening, bird watching and outdoor enjoyment. His work is teaching future generations about community service and the importance of the environment. His nonprofit of choice is Park Pride.

Julie Burroughs has volunteered thousands of hours at the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area – assisting with river cleanups on land and water. As a trail crew leader, she has worked on building and repairing hiking and bike trails, as well as teaching others trail building skills. She also started an Environmental Club that is comprised of more than 50 students that connect others with nature. Her nonprofit of choice is Chattahoochee Parks Conservancy, Friends Group of Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area.

Alan Toney is protecting fragile aquatic ecosystems and the local community from water pollution and waterborne diseases. Through his volunteer work with Chattahoochee Riverkeeper's Neighborhood Water Watch, Toney has collected more than 500 water samples to help the organization track water quality and detect pollution. He is measurably improving and protecting the health and quality of life for river users. His nonprofit of choice is Chattahoochee Riverkeeper.

Atlanta's 2015 Cox Conserves Hero will be announced in November. The previous recipients of Atlanta's Cox Conserves Heroes award are Bob Scott, John Gordon, Donna Shearer, Na'Taki Osborne-Jelks, Angel Poventud and Don Wells.

Cox Conserves Heroes was created in 2008 through a partnership between The Trust for Public Land and Cox Enterprises, the parent company of Channel 2 WSB-TV.  Through the national Cox Conserves Heroes program, more than $600,000 has been donated to environmental nonprofits and more than 150 volunteers have been honored. Cox Conserves Heroes also takes place in Arizona, California, Florida, Louisiana, Massachusetts and Virginia.

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.

Cox Media Group (CMG) is an integrated broadcasting, publishing, direct marketing and digital media company that includes the national advertising rep firms of CoxReps. Additionally, CMG owns Cox Target Media, which operates Valpak, one of North America's leading direct marketing companies, and Savings.com, a leading online source for savings.  The company's operations currently include 14 broadcast television stations and one local cable channel, 59 radio stations, seven daily newspapers and more than a dozen non-daily publications, and more than 100 digital services. CMG currently operates in more than 20 media markets and reaches approximately 52 million Americans weekly, including more than 31 million TV viewers, more than 3.5 million print and online newspaper readers, and more than 14 million radio listeners.  For more information about Cox Media Group, please check us out online at www.coxmediagroup.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.

SOURCE Cox Conserves

For further information: Elizabeth Olmstead, Cox Enterprises, 678-645-0762, elizabeth.olmstead@coxinc.com; Kristen Anderson, The Trust for Public Land, 415-800-5178, kristen.anderson@tpl.org