Neighbors...Thoughts on Environmentalism

So we have this neighbor is all up in everyone business.  Not in a nosy, gossipy way.  More like a bossy old grump way.  On a few occasions (on can count on my hand) my dog has gotten out of my house unleashed.  I swear my neighbor just circles the neighborhood looking for this to happen.  She will then ring my doorbell and chew me out until I am almost in tears.  I mean is that necessary?  She even went so far as to accuse me of almost killing someone because they were riding their bike while walking their huge dog (not a genius idea if you ask me) because when my dog got out their huge dog, tethered to their bike, took off and made the rider crash.  Can I honestly be at fault for that? 
She then always tries to be super nice and in a week or so we will have another encounter.
This week's encounter does not have to do with my dog.  We come home from driving around and having dinner at the in-laws and what do you know this neighbor is sitting in my front yard pulling weeds.  West and I know we have somewhat neglected our yard.  In fact we have been having conversations about some things we were thinking about changing and didn't feel it was necessary to really waste a bunch of time if we were going to rip a bunch of stuff up.  We had this thistle in our yard that had clearly gotten out of hand, but I kind of like the look of thistles and I thought it was pretty in my flower bed.  And here is this lady hacking it up.  So I get out of the car and the  conversation goes like this:
ME: "Oh that's nice of you, you don't have to do that."  
HER: "Oh yes I do!  (Proceeds into full rant)  This is one of the most noxious weeds and they are out of control in our neighborhood and the HOA has paid for these to be sprayed (and on and on and on)
WEST: (very calmly) I think my wife was just trying to be nice to you and I don't really appreciate you talking to her that way.
HER: on and on and on and on........
ME: (Walk in to house without saying anything else.)
Her: (To West) Aren't you on the HOA board?  Shouldn't you feel personally responsible to get this weed out of here since you used our money to pay for the weeds to be sprayed.....

That's about all I hear because I walked to far away from the front of our house.

That is our HOA fees are for.  I didn't know thistle was a noxious weed.  I really did think it looked pretty. And I totally redid my front yard yesterday.  She came and apologized like 3 times to West and to me.  I hope she likes it, and I hope its a small reminder to be nice.

Oh and even more impressive, I used rubber mulch (freakin' expensive) like 3" thick so weeds can't grow well there and its totally "green".  BOO-YA!

NEW THOUGHT:
I'm not sure how putting a material that will never decompose in my yard is green just because its recycled when its counterpart is recycled, decomposable material that is renewable.  Maybe since its something that will never leave the face of this earth and its being reincarnated and instead of taking up a land fill, its taking up my yard.  Whatever makes y'all sleep at night.
I wish I invented the cash cow theory of environmentalism.  Its one thing to take care of the environment, and completely another to make money off of people feeling guilty and despicable for living on the earth. The world will end regardless, might as well save your money and not hate yourself.