A group of retirees in Philadelphia is giving up some of the time they could spend with their grandchildren — in the hopes that their collective efforts will result in a better future for all children, according to WHYY.

Many of the participants are technically "baby boomers," a generation often stereotyped by other generations as self-centered, or even uncaring about the world they'll leave behind.

However, while they could be spending more of their golden years relaxing or traveling, this group of retirees meets monthly, donating their time and effort to tackle a truly immense global problem: microplastics.

As WHYY pointed out, microplastics are both an "emerging issue" — they weren't formally named until 2004 — and pervasive, environmentally and biologically. Microplastics have been found in areas notoriously inaccessible to people, as well as throughout the human body.

Bob Meyer is part of the group, the Senior Environment Corps, but he's not retired. Meyer is a professor emeritus of biology at Philadelphia's Chestnut Hill College, and he movingly described solving the problem of microplastics as one he didn't expect to be around to see through.

With his credentials, Meyer unsurprisingly understood that at the moment, using less plastic remained the best available approach to reducing microplastics at all levels.

"I don't know how you get [microplastics] out. I know how you stop it: You stop using plastic. But we'll be pushing up the daisies before that stops," he mused. 

Although the Philadelphia group's work is less dangerous than the proposal raised by some Japanese seniors after the 2011 Fukushima disaster, their impetus is quite similar, and their work is valuable.

When WHYY visited the group in session in a lab at Chestnut Hill College, Meyer and another member, David Schogel, were sifting through local water samples for microplastic particles. 

The samples were collected from Wissahickon Creek, and the group sought to determine whether a nearby wastewater treatment plant contributed to plastic contamination. 

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According to the outlet, the duo teased out more than three dozen microplastic shards, filaments, and nurdles from just "a few teaspoons of water." Members noted that the concentration was high, and that was "just the first sample."

One member, Drew Brown, is now 71. WHYY indicated that Brown became concerned about water cleanliness and the environment at large when he was a 12-year-old summer camp attendee warned away from swimming in a polluted creek. 

"Even though we're retired, and we're not being paid to do this, we can still be useful," said Brown, as he vetted water quality for Philadelphia's kids today. Schogel said the work was another way to leave a truly lasting impact, even without the means for large donations.

"I'm not a wealthy fellow, and I don't have any money to leave behind to any groups or even my family. But I can leave a better world and hopefully inspire people to do something in the future," Schogel observed.

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