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

Program to donate $20,000 to environmental nonprofits in Boston

BOSTON, Sept. 1, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- FOX25 and The Trust for Public Land are recognizing volunteers who are creating, preserving or enhancing shared outdoor spaces. Martha McDonough, Rocky Morrison and Daniel Schenk have been selected as finalists for Boston's inaugural Cox Conserves Heroes program, and the public is being asked to vote now through September 24 at myfoxboston.com.

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.

Boston's 2015 Cox Conserves Heroes Finalists

Martha McDonough founded the Hyde Park River Cleanup. A lifelong resident of Hyde Park, Martha is passionate about making the Neponset and parklands along its banks accessible to the community.  Long considered one of Boston's most abused natural resources, Martha has volunteered countless hours to engage the community and transform the Hyde Park section of the Neponset River into open spaces residents can enjoy.  Martha has worked extensively with local civic associations, residents and elected officials to restore the Neponset River in Hyde Park and create the Neponset Greenway and bike path. Martha's nonprofit of choice is the Neponset River Watershed Association. 

Rocky Morrison was born and raised on the Merrimack River and couldn't bear to see the Methuen shoreline he played on as a kid littered with debris. Ten years ago he founded the Clean River Project, a volunteer initiative that has since removed thousands of tires, 56 cars and tons of recyclable materials from the Merrimack. The debris is collected in booms along the river, then removed and sorted for recycling. Today, residents are enjoying a cleaner river where nesting eagles, heron and fish are thriving. Rocky's nonprofit of choice is the Clean River Project.

Daniel Schenk is a tireless volunteer for the Boston Food Forest Coalition (BFFC) at Mass Audubon's Boston Nature Center. The BFFC is a group of volunteer stewards working to establish a public food forest network throughout the city. Daniel is one of the organization's founders and serves as a primary educator and grower, with a personal mission to revive and conserve Boston's established legacy orchards and create new edible food forest sites. Each site reflects the cultural preferences of the surrounding community, serves as an educational model, and offers healthy food. Daniel's nonprofit of choice is Mass Audubon's Boston Nature Center. 

Boston's Cox Conserves Heroes program is sponsored locally by Warrendale Appliance.

The national Cox Conserves Heroes program was created in 2008 through a partnership between The Trust for Public Land and Cox Enterprises, the parent company of FOX25. The partnership stems from Cox Enterprises' national Cox Conserves sustainability program that focuses on reducing waste and energy consumption, conserving water and inspiring eco-friendly behavior.

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

For more information, visit CoxConservesHeroes.com or Facebook.

Social Media: #CoxConservesHeroes and #CoxConservesHero

About FOX25:
FOX25 News is a part of Cox Media Group and is the leading provider of local news, weather, and traffic. Boston is ranked the No. 7 designated market area (DMA) and comprises more than 2.4 million households. Viewers in Boston and Manchester, NH can tune into WFXT-TV on Comcast Channel 25, DirecTV Channel 25 and Dish Channel 25.

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.

About Warrendale Appliance:
Warrendale Appliance is a local family-owned and managed appliance retailer based in Waltham, MA with a $38 million dollar inventory of the newest energy efficient appliances.  Warrendale Appliance has served customers in Metro West and Boston Area since 1948.

SOURCE Cox Conserves

For further information: FOX25: Maggie Hennessey-Nees, 781-467-1474, Maggie.Hennessey-Nees@coxinc.com; The Trust for Public Land: Kristen Anderson, 415-495-4014, kristen.anderson@tpl.org; Cox Enterprises: Jami Buck-Vance, 678-645-0074, jami.buck-vance@coxinc.com