Sweep the Streets

Sweep the Streets

This weekend, people around the world will gather together to celebrate the planet and take action to protect it. Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin, disturbed that an issue as important as our environment was not being addressed in politics or by the media, created the first earth day on April 22, 1970. An estimated 20 million people nationwide attended festivities that day. The theme for Earth Day 2018 is “End Plastic Pollution”. Are you wondering what you can do to help?

Plogging

Have you recently seen people carrying trash bags while running? Or are their hands filled with plastic water bottles?

Well you might soon. It’s called “Plogging”…a new eco-friendly fitness craze from Sweden that is sweeping the streets (literally) in the United States. Plogging is a mash up of “plocka upp” and “jogga” meaning “picking up” and “jogging” in Swedish. It is essentially picking up trash while jogging (don’t get offended). The phenomenon was born is Sweden is 2016 when groups started to form around the activity. The Swedish fitness app Lifesum allows its users to track and log their plogging activity as a workout.  According to data from Lifesum, 30-minute plog burns around 288 calories, compared to 235 calories burned just from jogging. Bending over to pick up trash allows you to get extra movements in like squatting and lunges during your run. It’s free, it’s easy, and it’s good for you and the environment!

So celebrate Earth Day 2018. Try something new and bring a trash bag with you on your run today to contribute to Ending Plastic Pollution by Earth Day 2020, the 50th anniversary of Earth Day.

 

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