Plogging – the new Swedish fitness trend that combines exercise with environmentalism comes to Hong Kong and here’s how you can join in
- Plogging originated in Sweden and is a mash-up of jogging and the Swedish “plocka upp”, meaning pick up
- Teacher James Marlow set up HK Ploggers and organises a run every two weeks
After a day in the classroom, Hong Kong teacher James Marlow puts on his running gear and grabs a bin bag and goes plogging – a new fitness trend that is an eco-friendly way to exercise.
“The great thing about plogging is … people can do something good not only for themselves but also the environment,” says Marlow, the organiser of the plogging group – HK Ploggers.
Plogging originated in Sweden and is a mash-up of jogging and the Swedish “plocka upp”, meaning pick up.
Marlow, 26, from Birmingham in Britain, started organising plogging workouts in Hong Kong last September after watching videos posted by ploggers in other countries.
“I had organised beach clean-ups before, but when I came across plogging, I thought ‘Why not try something new?’” says Marlow, who teaches STEM – science, technology, engineering and mathematics – at Ma Tau Chung Government Primary School in Hung Hom.
All a plogger needs is running gear, gloves and a bin bag.
