The East Falls Flyers introduce us to the health & environmental benefits of “plogging” with a special run/walk this Monday evening.
Update 4-10-18:
The plog was a wonderful success. “It was fun & seamless with a group!” said Greg Skochko, a founding EF Flyer and admin on the group’s Facebook page, “I’d support at least quarterly similar events. Different routes would be good, too.”
The Flyers will be planning and promoting another plog in the future, stay tuned…
(Original post April 6, 2018)
“Plogging isn’t just a funny word, it’s a multi-tasking fitness trend from Sweden that sweeping the globe — litter-ally (ha). The word is a combination of “jogging” and “plocka upp” which is Swedish for “pick up,” which is the point of this activity: picking up trash while you’re running.
Plogging pics started appearing on Swedish Instagram feeds around 2016, inspiring copy-cats all over the world. This month, Philly gets in on the action with a whole week of plogging events leading up to the city’s Run for Clean Air this Earth Day (April 22). Running groups in many neighborhoods are getting into the spirit, including our own East Falls Flyers who’ve planned a Monday night plog along the river.
Participants meet 6:30pm at the Falls Bridge for a beautiful (and beautifying) sunset run up Kelly Drive and back. Gloves and trash bags will be provided – and all fitness levels are welcome, including walkers.
So how, exactly, do you plog?
We checked in with Alon Abramson (an organizer for the event and the founder of West Philly Runners) for the scoop. “As you can imagine, if a runner/walker tried to pick up every piece of litter they saw on their route in this city they’d be pulling a 40-minute pace, so we suggest runners grab one piece of litter per block,” Alon explained,”If there’s a particularly bad area, then your fellow runners/walkers will have your back. It’s not going to be perfect but it’ll make a hell of an impact.”
The EF Flyers aim to spread awareness about the effect of litter on our neighborhoods and environment, plus highlight the need for better litter management (street sweeping, more public bins, etc). They’re also hoping to encourage more Fallsers to come out for Monday night group runs (and walks) with fellow neighbors.
April 9th’s plog will be a great introduction to these casual, friendly and supportive runners of East Falls! “Our route is easy because it’s out and back. No one gets left behind and multiple waves of people will be covering the course,” Greg Skochko (a founding East Falls flyer) said. Figure about an hour of plogging — no more than 90 minutes if people are especially motivated.
After the plog, participants will meet at Franklin’s (Cresson & Bowman) for food, drink, and fun. What a great way to pitch in for East Falls while meeting neighbors and slipping in a workout, to boot! EXTRA BONUS: Use the code “AlwaysBePlogging” for discounted registration in the Clean Air Council’s Philadelphia Earth Day celebrations (Sunday April 22): 10k, 5k, 3k walk and kids runs.
WHO ARE THE EAST FALLS FLYERS? Founded in 2016, this friendly group is all about social running and fun. Members meet every 6:30 pm every Monday on the Kelly Drive side of the Falls Bridge for a group run of a few miles, followed by a post-run happy hour at a neighborhood bar or restaurant. All paces and faces are welcome! Follow them on Facebook for pics & details on upcoming runs.
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