STORY AND PHOTO BY KAREN BOSSICK
Do you know someone who is taking an active part in protecting the environment and outdoor spaces?
Cox Conserves Heroes is taking nominations of volunteers who fit that bill. The volunteer could win up to $50,000 for the environmental nonprofit of their choice.
Nominations are being taken through Aug. 15. The goal is to inspire those making a positive impact on the planet.
To date Cox Conserves Heroes has honored more than 200 volunteers and donated more than $1.1 million to environmental nonprofits and honored more than 200 volunteers.
Last year—the first in which the Wood River Valley took part--Wood River High School Spanish teacher Erika Greenberg accepted a $10,000 check on behalf of the school’s WATER (We Appreciate the Earth’s Resources) Club.
She was also put in contention for the $50,000 award with eight other Cox Conserves Heroes from across the country.
The eventual winner was a woman in Roanoke Valley who heads the Blue Ridge Land Conservancy and the Roanoke Appalachian Trail Club, which maintains and protects parts of that trail. As president of the Roanoke Valley Cool Cities Coalition, that woman also led the campaign to have local governments reduce their energy consumption. And she helped persuade the Mountain Valley Pipeline to relocate its pipeline route to mitigate the environmental impact.
To nominate your personal hero, go to https://www.coxconservesheroes.com/nominate-a-volunteer.
People will get a chance to vote for the volunteer of their choice between Oct. 1 and 15 at https://www.coxconservesheroes.com/vote.
The program was created by Cox Enterprises, which was founded in 1898 and is now a global company boasting 55,000 employees. It is headquartered in Atlanta, Ga., and is represented locally by Cox Communications.
In addition to spreading seed money for worthy endeavors, the organization is on track to send zero waste to the landfill by 2024 and to be carbon and waste neutral by 2044 with the help of rainwater harvest systems, low-flow water aerators and alternative energy projects.
It has worked with American Rivers and the Ocean Conservancy to remove more than 26 tons of trash from waterway, and it has diverted 170,000 tons of waste.