08/06/2025
🛶 Susan Baur didn’t start a movement by trying to change the world; in fact, she didn’t even mean to start a movement at all! She just wanted to help the turtles. 🐢
She was 67 when she began swimming alone in the ponds of Cape Cod; however, she quickly came to realize that she was never really alone at all. The turtles were always there, a comforting, steady presence and a beautiful reminder for Susan that the natural world isn’t separate from us; it’s a community we all belong to.
Over 18 years of daily swims, the turtles had become her friends, making her feel at home in the water. But as their homes started disappearing under growing pollution and tourism, she knew she had to do something to help them.
She was 85 when she gathered a group of women to help her remove the toilets, chairs, and tangled fishing nets from the ponds.
🌍 Today, that group is called Old Ladies Against Underwater Garbage (OLAUG), and they continue to clean up the Cape Cod ponds, one piece of trash at a time. 🦸🏼♀️
💚 Read her inspiring story here: https://olaug-ma.com/