Maeve Ward, a Green Newton board member who passed away after a brief illness in July, will be remembered as a
passionate environmentalist who inspired many of us, especially in her role as a member of Green Decade’s Green Cap Committee.

In 2005, Maeve was honored by our group for her work to embrace a sustainable, safe, and healthy lifestyle. In 2011, she received our Sentinel Lion Award for her courage and environment commitment.
Among her achievements, she co-produced two videos, the award-winning “Newton Goes Green: Say No to Pesticides,” and “Naturally Great Gardens & Landscapes: A Guide to Organic Lawn Care.” Maeve was also a leader in the efforts to stop community pesticide spraying, and she helped to lead a successful effort to have the Annual Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of MA adopt a resolution calling for the use of alternatives to pesticides.

The resolution, which later went national, calls for parishes and the Diocese to reduce the use of pesticides and toxic chemicals in the care of buildings and grounds. She also authored numerous articles on the hazards of pesticides and on the benefits of organic solutions, especially for gardens. Maeve also brought her good cheer to Green Newton’s Farmers Market booth for many years, and we will miss having her there with us.