MINSK, 14 May (BelTA) – Belarus' first Plogging Tour will be running on 15-23 May. Participants of the event will organize plogging runs that combine jogging and litter picking in regional capitals and Minsk, BelTA learned from Yevgenia Pochepko, the coordinator of the project and manager of the regional resource center for the development of additional education for adults in Vitebsk.
Plogging is a new movement that is getting more popular globally. The idea to combine exercise with clean up was put forward by Swedish activist Erik Ahlstrom in 2016. He came up with this after returning to Stockholm from a ski resort and seeing litter in the streets. The word ‘plogging' derives from the new Swedish verb ‘plogga', which is merged from the Swedish verbs ‘plocka upp' (pick up) and ‘jogga' (jog).
The first plogging runs were organized in Belarus in 2019, bringing together several dozen people. The upcoming plogging tour will encompass five regional capitals and the city of Minsk and draw over 500 participants. The tour has been organized by the Plogging Belarus movement, the Volkswagen company, and the Center for Environmental Solutions of Belarus.
The first plogging run will be held in the Stiklevo nature reserve in Minsk on 15 May. After that, the plogging tour team will visit the regional capitals: Vitebsk on 19 May, Mogilev on 20 May, Gomel on 21 May, Brest on 22 May, and Grodno on 23 May.
“Plogging is not only about picking up litter and healthy lifestyle, it is about people's attitude in general,” PR manager of Volkswagen Belarus Olga Shinkevich noted. “Our task is to show people that everyone can contribute to improving the environment. Just go for a run. We hope that plogging will gain popularity in Belarus and such events will be held on a regular basis,” she added.
The organizers are mulling over arranging such events in more locations and offering new types of plogging, for example, while rowing or cycling.
