Plogging Around the World
Over the last couple years, many of us spent a little too much time inside. Working from home, online schooling, and other activities brought on by the global pandemic have completely changed our daily routines. While we all spent time indoors, litter and other waste continued to pile up in many of our public spaces. As 2022 surges on, people around the world have adopted a new hobby that gets us outside while also cleaning up our planet.
Plogging is a well-known activity at Cleanup News, but for those not familiar, plogging is a combination of picking up litter while jogging. The sport originated as an organized event in Sweden, quickly gaining popularity around the world. Plogging has internal health benefits while also keeping our planet healthy, making it the perfect activity to implement in our own lives in 2022.
In an article by National News, plogging is predicted to be one of the hottest new fitness trends this year. Home workouts are slowly declining in popularity as people get bored of exercising inside, while the allure of outdoor plogging has spiked interest. As spring approaches, the warm weather will likely bring a storm of ploggers ready to get some cardio in while cleaning up the outdoors.
Plogging has made its way all around the world, spotted recently in Bristol England with masters student Vivek Gurav. Gurav put together his own plogging challenge throughout the month of February. Running 3 to 8km with a group of friends before work each morning has become a part of his daily routine through the challenge. After reaching out to multiple community groups, Gurav states he wants even more people involved in his plogging outings.
In Toronto, Canada, marine biologist Justine Ammendolia has plogged for years, picking up thousands of pieces of trash each summer. After noticing a large amount of PPE products from the pandemic, she used an app to map the areas where this trash was found. This new form of litter contributes to a large amount of the microplastics harming ecosystems and wildlife. Plogging effectively cleans up these major contributors making a great difference for communities around the world.
Plogging continues to grow each year as more people discover how beneficial this sport is for both our own health and for the world around us. Try implementing plogging into your own exercise routine in 2022!
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