Volunteer Spotlight: Steve Harte
For Steve Harte, getting involved with the Westwood Land Trust started simply: he volunteered for a cleanup.
Steve had supported the Land Trust in the past, but in 2018, he saw an opportunity to join a cleanup in a part of Westwood he hadn’t explored before. He signed up with his wife, spent the day working alongside other volunteers and, not long afterward, was asked if he might consider getting more involved.
He did. Today, Steve serves as treasurer of the Westwood Land Trust and is part of a group working to protect some of the landscapes that make Westwood special.
A retired teacher who spent 30 years in the classroom, Steve has long been drawn to volunteering. He has served on Westwood’s Environmental Action Committee and Conservation Commission and also volunteers with New Life Furniture Bank, where donated furniture is given a second life helping people establish new homes.
That spirit of service is closely connected to Steve’s love of the outdoors. He and his wife are avid travelers who have hiked everywhere from New Zealand and Switzerland to Peru. Closer to home, he loves running and walking in the woods and believes access to nature has real value for both the mind and body.
It is also why the Land Trust’s work matters so much to him.
Steve appreciates the pastoral views that still exist throughout Westwood, places where a drive down a familiar road can reveal landscapes that have remained largely unchanged for generations. Protecting those places, he believes, isn’t just about the people who live here today.
“What we’re doing is trying to keep Westwood a place that can be enjoyed by our children, our grandchildren, everybody who comes after us,” Steve said.
For Steve, volunteering does not have to mean making an enormous commitment. Even an hour every month or two can make a difference.
“It’s a way to connect. It’s a way to do something meaningful,” he said.
And sometimes, as Steve discovered, showing up for one cleanup can be the beginning of something much bigger.