That’s right. Plogging!
It is the amalgamation of picking up rubbish and jogging. A rising fitness trend from Sweden, the word plogging comes from combining the word ‘plockar’ (Swedish for ‘picking’) and ‘jogging.’ The idea comes from Swedish runner Erik Ahlström who wanted to face the issue of waste pollution head on. Even in the northern forests of Sweden he would find many plastic bottles, bags and other pieces of litter while out for a jog-- and that's not a pretty sight! So he started to pick them up during his runs and then sort them into the proper waste and recycling bins afterwards. After moving to Stockholm, with even more litter, he continued to plog and grew a huge community of other eco-conscious runners. Now the hashtag #plogging has over 18,500 posts!
Plogging has really caught on quickly, and it makes total sense… not only is it super simple-- it’s free! If you already go for runs, it doesn’t add much to start plogging. One of the original ploggers, Maja Tesch, even suggests using the rubbish you collect to motivate you during the work out. Counting pieces of litter can become a sort of challenge and form of interval training.
Plogging can also be a great activity for kids because it develops citizenship and teaches good habits in recycling and proper waste disposal.
A few teapigs have been getting involved in plogging and finding it a great way to get some exercise this summer… Who knew picking up rubbish during a run would be a full body workout?
Find us this month serving iced tea and joining in on the fun at the Vivo Barefoot plogging session in Central London with Madeleine Shaw and Maja Tesch from 10:30 am-12:30 am on the 28th of July! More information here!
Until this event-- why not give plogging a go on your own and tag us on social media @teapigs with #plogging!
More green things!
- Read about our big plastic clear out here
- Shop our plastic free tea here
- Read about our local plastic free shopping trip!
