Invite your alumni network members to try a more eco-friendly lifestyle! This toolkit offers a fun way of boosting a discussion on sustainability while doing something for your local environment!
About
Plogging is a Swedish initiative taken by people who got fed up going for a run and seeing trash on the ground. The concept of Plogging means going for a jog and picking up trash at the same time. It has become a movement in Sweden and we encourage alumni networks to host a Plogging-event together with their members, families and friends.
We suggest that you gather a group in an environment which is suitable for jogging, but also where you know there is a need for picking trash and go for an hour jog. You can either jog in a group or split up (this is more effective in terms of picking trash) and meet up after one hour or so. It does not matter how far or fast you run, as long as you get some exercise!
After the run we suggest you have lunch together to evaluate your experience. You can either have lunch at an eco-friendly café or do a plastic free picnic. We encourage you to hold this event along with the other toolkit called “Plastic Free Week”. You can apply for both these two toolkits at the same time.
Related Toolkit
Instructions and manuals
Step by step manual (further down on this page)
Useful links and inspiration
Inspirational Presentation of Ploggathon (Plogging World Record) India
Alumni plogging activity on Vietnamese TV (for inspiration)
Plogging – How fitness can save the climate from Sweden on Vimeo.
Step by step manual
- See the film linked in the toolkit and read up on what Plogging is on the official website
- Reach out to the Swedish embassy and let them know about your event.
- Find a suitable place for your plogging event. It is important that you choose a place that has a safe environment for going for a run (maybe not too urban) but also there has to be trash around so that the participants feel like they are making a difference. You can choose if you want to have an outdoors picnic after the jog, or you find a suitable café/lunch place nearby with a sustainability focus where everyone can gather after the run to get something to eat. Have in mind that the group might be a little sweaty after the work out though!
- Set a date and time. Make sure you can send in the application for funding at least five weeks before your event.
- Look for potential partners to team up with. Is there any organization that locally works for similar things that could maybe join your event and talk about what they do? Maybe you have alumni members working for organisations that specialize in sustainability. This is optional but adds value for your members to take part and might also contribute to your activity creating real impact.
- Create a page for your event so that people can register. We suggest you use
confetti.events or a similar service but it can be a facebook event or google forms or any other service that you find suitable. - Post your event in the Sweden Alumni Activity Calendar.
- Send invitations to your members. If you need help with reaching out to new members, get in touch with SI who can help sending an email to their contacts.
- Prepare so that everyone has a bag to pick up trash in and hand them out
before you start. Also, make sure you have a plan on what to do with the trash afterwards. Preferably it should be recycled and ideally you do that together maybe be finishing up your plogging round at a local recycling station. Buy organic food for the picknick and try to make the picknick as plastic free as possible! We also encourage you to bring some discussion topics for the lunch on how we can live more sustainably. Maybe you bring a petition to be signed and give to local politicians? Or maybe one of your alumni members are working on a sustainability project they can tell the group about? Any action or topic that you see fit in your context. - Have your event!
- Send in the report to SI, not more than two weeks after the event.
How to apply
Submit an application form to apply for this event.
How to report
Here you find the reporting instructions.
Contact
For more information, contact alumni@si.se.