Dorothy Green - Her spirit lives on in the light on the water and in the way she inspires all of us each day to make the world better.

Dorothy Green, the organization's founding president, passed away peacefully Monday morning, October 13, 2008.

Her legacy and influence on Heal the Bay and the environmental movement will never be forgotten.

Dorothy Green, founding president of Heal the Bay, beloved environmental campaigner, and a mentor to generations of volunteers, scientists and public policy makers, passed away Monday, October 13th, at her home in Los Angeles after a long battle with melanoma. She was 79 years old.

A onetime stay-at-home mom, Dorothy would later embark on a journey of hands-on activism and self education, becoming one of the state’s most respected authorities on water quality issues. Spurred by the social disruptions of the early 1970s, she would serve as a passionate advocate for clean oceans and sound water policy throughout her life.

Initially gathering a few concerned colleagues in her living room in 1985, Dorothy grew Heal the Bay into one of the region’s most powerful environmental organizations with considerable influence on water-quality issues throughout the state.

"Dorothy Green was simply the most influential water quality activist in California for the last 30 years," said Mark Gold, her protégé and current president of Heal the Bay.

Share your remembrances of Dorothy at Mark Gold's blog.

Photos of Dorothy at Flickr.com