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Plogging? Say What?

Gradient Ocean

Terry Cullen

Oct 18, 2022

Sweden

Categories:

Environment, Litter, Exercise, Jogging, Community, Health

"Protecting the places that move you begins with the simplest act." This simple statement heads a website, a community of people seeking to change the world by plogging.


"Plogging" is a combination of two Swedish words, "jogga" (jog) and "plocka" (pluck). Plogging is the act of jogging and picking up trash. Plogging.org is a website devoted to plogging and changing the world by encouraging people worldwide to plog in their local communities. Plogging benefits the environment (by removing trash) and personal and public health (through exercise).


The Swedes use the term "Plogga" to describe a movement, an association of ploggers, and an organized or individual plogging event. Stockholm, Sweden, hosted the world's first Plogga event in 2016. According to Plogging.org, over three million people have participated in organized and individual ploggas, and every day worldwide, 20,000 people plog in over 100 countries. You are not required to jog to plog. Any movement, such as walking, hiking, biking, paddle boarding, or kayaking, is acceptable. ("Pliking" combines biking and picking up litter.)


Erik Ahlstrom is the Plogging founder. His motivation came from watching Stockholm get dirtier daily without any clean-up. Ahlstrom says that every day, Swedes discard almost 3 million cigarette butts on the Swedish capital city's streets, sidewalks, and waterways. Ahlstrom says littering is a sign of disrespect to each other and the environment. He wants to change that behavior and attitude.


Make a difference in your hometown. Get a group of your friends or family together and host your plogging event. Or, go solo. Go to plogging.org and register your event, and be featured on a worldwide map of plogging events. Plogging is a great weekend activity. Work your way over time through all your community's parks and other public places. Promote the action with your faith-based institution and local schools. Invite politicians to join in; it is a good way for them to get out and meet with their constituents while doing community service. Local governments may help to promote events and provide centralized waste disposal containers. Take pictures and log volunteer hours on a website. Consider partnering with healthcare facilities to promote health benefits, lose weight, and get in shape. Create celebrations to mark milestones, such as the number of volunteer hours, tons of trash picked up, or miles logged. Plogging can be an excellent way to build community, improve health and clean up your town.


It is so simple to start and easy to do.


Visit the link below to learn more about plogging and register for your community events.

Photo by Steve Jewett on Unsplash.

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Catalog #:

1022.100.04.10172022

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