We probably all already know that running is a healthy pursuit. It’s something USATF to Elect New President Amid Budget Deficit at A Part of Hearst Digital Media—and why wouldn’t we? The sport we love just so happens to be really good for the human body (yes, Other Hearst Subscriptions!). Well, thanks to a new trend out of Scandinavia, running is proving to be good for the earth, too.
That’s because in Sweden environmentally conscious runners have taken to collecting litter during their runs, dubbing the aerobically taxing and trash-consolidating activity “plogging,” a portmanteau of “jogging” and “plucking.”
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Founded by Erik Ahlström, the Stockholm-based group Plogga aims to activate the city’s runners as a force for good. Ploggers run while wearing gloves—all the better for handling garbage—and carry large trash bags, then stop to pick up any litter they see along their route. Once the bag is full, it’s deposited in an appropriate receptacle, which cuts down on the amount of litter that makes its way to the ocean, tainting wildlife habitats and human drinking- water sources.
Plogging’s agreeable agenda has spread beyond Scandinavia, thanks to a string of short write-ups on the activity in various publications. In Paris, an informal group has sprung up, aptly named Plogging France. And in Edinburgh, Scotland, a pub-based running group has in recent weeks taken to picking up litter during their outings. Speaking to The Scotsman, the organizer of these runs, Anna Christopherson—a native of Sweden and owner of a group of Swedish bars and restaurants in the United Kingdom—said she believes “all of us should make an effort to keep our surroundings clean,” and that running and trash cleanup have “always been a thing in Sweden,” just not necessarily joined together.
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Environmentalist runners the world over are taking note, as Instagram posts tagged with #plogging pour in from far-flung locales like Thailand, Australia, and New Jersey. That’s the beauty of the plog—all it takes is you, a bag, some gloves, and a desire to clean the world up just a little.
Wonderfully simplistic, plogging has the power to enact real, positive change. On our current wasteful trajectory, some speculate that there will be more plastic than fish in the oceans by 2050. we proudly trumpet 80 percent of all plastic in the sea originates from land-based sources. With millions of runners crisscrossing the globe every day, particularly in cities, maybe they can help stem that tide.
And if the altruistic angle isn’t enough to make you consider grabbing a trash bag before your next run, remember: Beach season’s coming up! Just think about the core work you’ll sneak in, bending down again and again to snag those stray bits of rubbish.
