Indian student in UK brings ‘plogging’ (picking up litter and jogging) craze from India to Bristol

By A Staff Reporter

BRISTOL Feb 12: Vivek Gurav, a 27-year-old international student from India, who founded a ‘plogging’ community in India hopes to do the same in Bristol, Bristol Post reported.

The University of Bristol student, who is studying for his Master’s Degree here, started ‘plogging’ after searching the web for different ways of undertaking clean-up drives.

‘Plogging’, which was started back in Sweden in 2016, is a combination of picking up litter and jogging. It merges the Swedish verbs ‘plocka upp’ (pick up) and ‘jogga’ (jog) and is known as a “running craze that is saving the planet”.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Vivek Gurav (@theplogman)

Vivek first got involved with waste management some seven years ago while in India and has been involved in clean-up drives for four years.

He’s conducted more than 250 ‘plogging’ runs in India and has collected and sent 100 tonnes of waste for recycling.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Vivek Gurav (@theplogman)

In his home city of Pune in the western Indian state of Maharashtra, Vivek, who now lives on Whiteladies Road in Clifton, used to pick up litter alone before he founded Pune Ploggers – an initiative in India said to be the world’s first community ‘plogging’ campaign.

When Vivek spoke to Bristol Live he was on the fourth day of his ‘plogging adventure’ and hopes that, come the 30th and final day of his challenge, he will be ready to set up ‘Bristol Ploggers’, though he’ll still head out ‘plogging’ as a way of making a change – and simply because he enjoys it.

He wrote on his Instagram, “Pune To England, A Journey supported by thousands of admirers of our Plogging Community. Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam. Pune Ploggers stands tall as a global community now with its footprints spreading in the United Kingdom”.

Being a global citizen is about being aware of and understanding the wider world – and our place in it. It’s more about taking an active role in the community, and working with others to make our planet more equal, fair, and sustainable.