Cox Conserves Heroes Program Seeking Nominations for Boston’s Environmental Volunteers

The Trust for Public Land and FOX25 today launched Boston’s inaugural Cox Conserves Heroes program to honor local environmental volunteers. Nominations are being accepted now through July 22 at myfoxboston.com for volunteers in FOX25’s viewership area who are creating, preserving or enhancing outdoor spaces. Nominee activities must be performed on a volunteer basis and may not be part of an individual’s paid job.

A total of $20,000 will be donated to local environmental nonprofits on behalf of the winner and finalists. A judging panel of civic and environmental leaders will select three finalists who will then compete to be named Boston’s 2015 Cox Conserves Hero. The winner will be chosen through an online public vote, which will take place in late August.

Types of volunteer activities considered include:

•  Advocacy, education and/or community outreach for parks and open space
•  Beautifying a public place, e.g. planting/ tending to a community garden
•  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
•  Volunteering at a local park
•  Water conservation/protection-related projects

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. More than $500,000 has been donated to local nonprofits and nearly 150 volunteers have been honored through the Cox Conserves Heroes program.