Susan Baur, an 85-year-old retired psychologist, was fed up with all the trash in a Cape Cod pond where she loved to swim. She shares in an interview with AARP Online, “I started the ‘Old Ladies Against Underwater Garbage’ (OLAUG) because I was sick and tired of swimming through trash.”
How did it begin?
Susan is a swimmer, and the ponds have been her lapping ground for years. Back in 2017, she had been swimming with friends and thought, “There’s too much stuff in here.” She told AARP, “We commandeered a guy in a kayak and said, ‘Follow us, we’re gonna hand you trash.’ It was fun, and it felt good to swim and see it so clean.” She adds, “Someone said we’re a bunch of old ladies against underwater garbage, and it stuck.”
Since then, each summer she leads 20-30 women on dives to clean up the ponds.
What kinds of trash do they find?
When it comes to what they dig out of the ponds, nothing is all that shocking anymore. Susan shares they typically find golf balls, beer cans, and even dog toys. “And then there’s the really interesting stuff: garden gnomes, tires, a toilet.” She thinks about it for a moment. “The toilet wins.”
But it gives them a sense of adventure. “The dives are like treasure hunts for things that shouldn’t be there.”
Who can join the club?
Not just anyone can be a part of this Garbage Avengers team. She states very clearly, “The requirements for being a member of OLAUG are you have to be a woman over 64 and an excellent swimmer. We give tryouts every spring. Swim half a mile in under 30 minutes and be able to dive a minimum of 8 feet.”
According to an interview on WGBH News, Susan is very strict about those membership rules. “There was a guy who absolutely wanted to join. I said, No. Often they’re men, very often they’re not old at all, and they’re quite miffed when they say, ‘But I could help. I’m stronger than you guys. I could do this.’ I said, ‘Yeah, there’s nothing three women can’t do.’’”
What are the women like?
Susan shares, “Many of these women have a career or even two careers. Some have lost their husband, lost their house, lost their health, and they never imagined that there would be such an adventurous next chapter in their life.”
One team member, Marci Johnson (age 73), says the club gives her a sense of purpose. “Having retired, you lose that whole sense of what do you do? Who am I now? And this is something I can do and do well, and I enjoy it.”
What’s next?
The team has worked their magic on over two dozen ponds. And it’s not going to stop with Cape Cod. The squad is expanding “farther into Massachusetts.” Susan exclaims. “There’s even a woman in Southern Illinois who wants to do the same thing we’re doing there.”
Why they do it
The 1440Daily on Instagram, a daily news page, claims there are at least 30 active members in the club, with their dives helping to “support wildlife conservation and environmental preservation in one of Massachusetts’ most scenic regions.”
The comments on the thread are incredibly supportive. One rightfully points out that not only does this obviously benefit the ponds, but it has great health benefits for the women. “This is awesome! Plus the extra benefit of longer, healthier lives with all that swimming, coordination, and social interactions.”
Susan herself is not surprised that she takes part in this but she’s amazed that people have joined her. “It does not shock me at all that I’m swimming around picking up garbage. I’m just that kind of person. And when I’m 90, if I make it to 90, I’ll be swinging from trees or doing something strange and wonderful. But that these people would JOIN me, and wear orange hats and have the enthusiasm, it sets me back on my heels.”
