Cox Enterprises' Social Giving Campaign Raises Money for American Rivers and The Trust for Public Land

ATLANTA, Sept. 12, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Cox Enterprises is celebrating the 5^th anniversary of its national sustainability program – Cox Conserves – by launching a social giving campaign on Facebook. The campaign will raise money for Cox's national environmental partners: American Rivers and The Trust for Public Land.

Cox will donate one dollar to each organization for every new "like" on its Facebook page (Facebook.com/CoxEnterprises) through October 1. The program will donate up to a combined total of $10,000.

"At American Rivers, we have seen that once people get involved with their local rivers, they want to protect them for future generations to enjoy," said Bob Irvin, president of American Rivers. "Through its support for our National River Cleanup Program, Cox Enterprises has supported cleanups across the country, connecting Americans with their local rivers. Not only has our partnership with Cox Enterprises led to the removal of trash from the nation's rivers, it has educated communities about the importance of clean, healthy rivers and created a new generation of river stewards."

National River Cleanup® supports individuals, organizations and companies interested in conducting a cleanup on their local river.  Since its start over 20 years ago, volunteers nationwide have removed trash from 205,500 river miles. Cox partners with American Rivers in multiple locations for river cleanups. To date, Cox employees have volunteered and removed more than eight tons of materials from rivers in Atlanta; Dayton, Ohio; and Manheim, Pa.

Through its partnership with The Trust for Public Land, Cox created the Cox Conserves Heroes program to recognize volunteers and provide donations to their environmental nonprofits of choice. The program takes place in Arizona; Atlanta; Orange County, Calif.; San Diego; San Francisco, Santa Barbara, Calif.; Seattle; and Virginia. To date, more than $225,000 has been donated to local environmental nonprofits and 20 individuals have been recognized as Cox Conserves Heroes.

"The Cox Conserves Heroes program is one of our most important and effective partnerships," said Will Rogers, president of The Trust for Public Land. "Our goal is to create parks and natural areas in communities across the country, and we look to community leaders to help us do that. The Heroes program provides wonderful, important recognition of those leaders, who have such a large impact on our shared outdoor spaces."

Launched in 2007, Cox Conserves seeks to reduce Cox Enterprises' energy consumption by embracing renewable forms of energy, conserving natural resources and inspiring eco-friendly behavior. The program engages each of the company's major subsidiaries (Cox Communications, Manheim, Cox Media Group and AutoTrader.com) and encourages Cox Enterprises' 50,000 employees and their families to engage in eco-friendly practices. For more information, visit CoxConserves.com.

Hashtags:     #CoxConserves      #CoxSocialGood      #CoxGivesBack

About Cox Enterprises:
Cox Enterprises is a leading communications, media and automotive services company. With revenues of nearly $15 billion and more than 50,000 employees, the company's major operating subsidiaries include Cox Communications, Inc. (cable television distribution, telephone, high-speed Internet access, commercial telecommunications and advertising solutions); Manheim, Inc. (vehicle auctions, repair and certification services and web-based technology products); Cox Media Group, Inc. (television and radio stations, digital media, newspapers, advertising sales rep firms, Valpak and Cox Digital Solutions); and AutoTrader.com (online automotive advertising and Kelley Blue Book, vAuto and HomeNet Automotive subsidiaries).  Additionally, Cox operates Kudzu.com.

About American Rivers:
American Rivers is the leading organization working to protect and restore the nation's rivers and streams.  Rivers connect us to each other, nature, and future generations.  Since 1973, American Rivers has fought to preserve these connections, helping protect and restore more than 150,000 miles of rivers through advocacy efforts, on-the-ground projects, and the annual release of America's Most Endangered Rivers®.  Headquartered in Washington, DC, American Rivers has offices across the country and more than 100,000 supporters, members, and volunteers nationwide.

About The Trust for Public Land :
The Trust for Public Land conserves land for people to enjoy as parks, gardens, and other natural places, ensuring livable communities for generations to come. Since 1972, The Trust for Public Land has completed 5,200 park and conservation projects, conserved more than 3 million acres, and helped generate $33 billion in state and local conservation funding.

SOURCE Cox Enterprises