Underwater toilets + senior citizens = lifelong memories

👆 When I grow older, I want to be a part of the Old Ladies Against Underwater Garbage. 

The group is made up of 30 women (plus a long waitlist) in their golden years on a mission to save Massachusetts' underwater ecosystems. The Old Ladies Against Underwater Garbage (OLAUG) have been digging up trash together since 2018, free diving into some of the state's 900+ freshwater ponds,

How it started: Eighty-five-year-old Susan Baur founded the group accidentally seven years ago when she got a few friends together to help clean up a local pond. 

They started meeting more regularly, and their efforts took off during the pandemic – when the women were constrained to meeting outside and maintaining social distancing. Since then, they've collected hundreds of pounds of garbage from the ponds.

• The senior women find fulfillment in cleaning up the ecosystems, but they’ve also discovered the joy of community and friendships.
• “When I realized that it wasn’t about the garbage,” said Susan, “it’s about that we have discovered a way of repairing the planet not based on guilt, not based on common sense, not based on fear – but based on joy. [I thought,] ‘Hell, we’ve got something terrific.’”

The OLAUG members tackle about 20 ponds a year during their May-October diving season. When out on the water, the crew assumes different roles. According to Nice News, one acts as a wildlife lookout, swimming ahead to warn against snapping turtles and guide the others toward the trash. Another is the “garbage collector,” paddling a canoe or kayak and accepting the spoils from the emerging swimmers.

Since their founding, the ladies have collected tires, golf balls, cell phones, countless beverage cans, and even a toilet.

🏆 The awards are coming...This year, Susan was honored by the prestigious Explorers Club as one of its 50 visionaries for 2025.

“Extraordinary people who are doing remarkable work to promote science and exploration, but remain under the radar and out of the limelight,” the EC site reads. “These 50 individuals are exploring, inspiring, and creating the future – the future of the planet, life upon it, and the boundless possibilities that await us all.”