Channel 2 WSB-TV and The Trust For Public Land Announce Bob Scott as Atlanta's 2014 Cox Conserves Hero

$15,000 going to environmental nonprofits

ATLANTA, Nov. 19, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Channel 2 WSB-TV and The Trust for Public Land today announced Bob Scott as Atlanta's 2014 Cox Conserves Hero. WSB-TV's Jovita Moore and Craig Lucie announced Scott as the winner at an event held at the station's studios.

As Scott's nonprofit of choice, South Fork Conservancy will receive $10,000. He put his lawnmower to use to create and maintain a new trail leading people to Peachtree Creek. Scott is building an urban refuge in the heart of metro Atlanta and sharing trail maps with neighbors to encourage outdoor activity. He brought neighbors together through a Georgia Conservancy Greenspace Visioning program, and they now have a shared goal to connect the BeltLine and Emory through five miles of walking trails.

Each of the finalists received $2,500 for their nonprofits of choice:

• Joy Carter: Atlanta Audubon Society
• Barry Henson: Go Outdoors USA

Scott and the two finalists were each recognized and applauded by the attendees, which included WSB-TV's leadership team and staff, previous Cox Conserves Heroes and finalists, as well as representatives from local environmental nonprofits, The Trust for Public Land and Cox Enterprises. At the event, WSB-TV also shared that it has met the Atlanta Better Buildings Challenge, nearly six years ahead of the 2020 goal.

"As a part of the Atlanta community, we take our role of sharing important stories to heart, and we're honored to recognize these great environmental volunteers," said Tim McVay, Vice President and General Manager for Channel 2 WSB-TV. "They inspire us to do our part – whether it's covering important environmental topics, participating in volunteer cleanups or cutting down on our own operations emissions. Bob, Joy and Barry show that everyone really can make a difference and inspire others to get involved."

Cox Conserves Heroes recognizes volunteers who are creating, preserving or enhancing outdoor spaces, and Scott is the program's 40^th winner. Through the Cox Conserves Heroes program, nearly $500,000 has been donated to environmental nonprofits and more than 140 volunteers have been honored.

The Cox Conserves Heroes program was created through a partnership between The Trust for Public Land and Cox Enterprises, the parent company of Channel 2 WSB-TV, to honor local conservation volunteers.  Cox Conserves Heroes takes place in Arizona (Phoenix and Tucson); California (Orange County, San Diego and Santa Barbara); Georgia (Atlanta); Louisiana (Acadiana, Baton Rouge and New Orleans); Virginia (Fairfax County/Fredericksburg, Hampton Roads and Roanoke) and Washington (Seattle).

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 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, 57 radio stations, eight 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 30 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. Since 1991, the Georgia/Alabama office of The Trust for Public Land has conserved important sites from the coast to the mountains and many places in between, including nearly 18,000 acres along the Chattahoochee River, new parks along the Atlanta BeltLine, and dozens of historically significant properties.  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 Media Group and Cox Automotive) 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 in the next 7-10 years and become carbon and water neutral in the next 25-30 years. The company also presents the Cox Conserves Sustainability Survey, a nationwide survey that examines sustainability opportunities and challenges for small and medium-sized businesses.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20141119/159589

SOURCE Cox Enterprises, Inc.

For further information: Kristen Anderson, The Trust for Public Land, (415) 495-4014, or Elizabeth Olmstead, Cox Enterprises, (678) 645-0762