City Pulse

Do you want to burn those extra kilos and also contribute towards a cleaner city. Then ‘Plogging’ is the activity for you.

Plogging is a combination of the words ‘jogging’ and ‘plocka upp’, which is Swedish for ‘pick up’. In simple terms this can be defined as an eco-conscious fitness activity, where one has to squat, bend, stretch to pick up trash, combined with the main action of running, hiking or walking. The workout is not just beneficial to one’s body but also to ones neighbourhood which becomes litter free when the activity is completed.

First started by Swede Erik Ahlstrom in Stockholm in 2016, plogging has become a fitness fad in different parts of the world. The trend has caught on in India, especially in Bengaluru. As a matter of fact, Bengaluru based ploggers made it to the Guinness Book of World Records by collecting 33,355.6kg of plastic in a 12-hour drive organised on Gandhi Jayanthi day in 2018.

In addition, the activity has also set a new trend in volunteering. “Unlike clean-up drives, Plogging not only promotes Swachh Bharat (Clean India) but also Swasth Bharat (Healthy India),” says G Nagaraj, famously known as Bengaluru’s plogman.

Having participated in over 250 plog runs across 12 cities in India, Nagaraj who is also the founder of Ploggers Army adds that a new plogger is made to take a pledge against littering and the use of single-use-plastic before participating in the drive. “It brings a sense of awareness as well as becomes an eye-opener to others who witness the activity along the plogging stretch. People will also spot the kind of trash that gets strewn and become more conscious. In Bengaluru, single-use-waste comprising of plastic and paper and Ghutka packets makes up for the 80 per cent trash,” he adds.

Nagaraj is now prepping up for the 'Santa plogrun' in Bengaluru on December 22, just ahead of the Christmas and New Year celebrations. The main message he wants to impart is to celebrate in an eco-friendly manner and avoid using decorations and wrapping paper from single-use plastic. He has invited Bengalureans to be a part of the unique plogrun by hosting the event on the IChangeMyCity volunteering platform. To participate please download IChangeMyCity App and mark yourself as a volunteer for 'Santa plogrun' event.