Leading Nonprofit Shifts Organized Group Cleanup Activity to Remote Individual Action
STAMFORD, Conn. (Sept. 17, 2020) – Keep America Beautiful®, the Stamford, Connecticut-based national community improvement nonprofit organization, has transitioned the in-person component of its second annual TrashDash™ – a plogging event and fun run – completely virtual due to rising concerns of COVID-19.
TrashDash was previously set to feature an organized group cleanup event at Mill River Park, in collaboration with Mill River Park Collaborative, in Stamford on Sun., Sept. 20. The event will now solely be held anywhere virtually in communities across the world via social media allowing all participants to join the plogging movement in a safe and socially-distanced manner.
“Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the health and safety of participants and volunteers continue to be our top priority. With the shift to fully remote individual action, we are excited to expand our virtual plogging movement and create an even larger impact in the fight against litter, particularly PPE litter.” said Keep America Beautiful President and CEO Helen Lowman. “We remain committed to keeping the home of our headquarters, as well as communities across the country clean, green, and beautiful.”
Plogging, a combination of jogging and picking up litter, started as an organized activity in Sweden in 2017 due to growing concerns about litter and marine debris and has since spread to other countries. Keep America Beautiful and its more than 650 community-based affiliates are leading this trend in the United States by conducting plogs to make their communities cleaner, safer, healthier, and more beautiful.
“We may not be able to gather together, but we can still make a difference together,” said Stamford Mayor David Martin. “I encourage residents — in Stamford and elsewhere — to take this opportunity to clean up their local neighborhood, park, or other greenspace. This effort has always been united by our mutual desire to keep our communities beautiful and that continues this year, even as COVID has forced us to change our plans.”
The virtual TrashDash event is open to anyone regardless of time zone and location on Sept. 20. Individuals are encouraged to join the one-day movement to end litter and plog at a location in their community, such as a neighborhood, park, beach, or trail. Participants are asked to post a picture or video of their experience on Instagram by tagging @KeepAmericaBeautiful and including the hashtags #DoBeautifulThings and #TrashDash.
Ploggers are asked to register for the virtual TrashDash here. Individual registration for the virtual event is free, however, a $10 donation is appreciated.
Keep America Beautiful will be providing litter pickers and official race t-shirts to participants previously registered for the in-person event to assist in their individual cleanup efforts.
Keep America Beautiful encourages all virtual participants to follow their state and local health guidelines, as well as wear face coverings and properly sanitize hands following cleanups. For a list of safety tips, click here.
The Keep America Beautiful TrashDash is sponsored by Dart Container Corporation as a cornerstone of their sustainability commitment. Keep America Beautiful is also partnered with Earth Day Network and National CleanUp Day as part of a global effort to encourage individuals to make a difference in their local community.
About Keep America Beautiful
Keep America Beautiful, the nation’s leading community improvement nonprofit organization, inspires and educates people to take action every day to improve and beautify their community environment. Established in 1953, Keep America Beautiful strives to End Littering, Improve Recycling, and Beautify America’s Communities. We believe everyone has a right to live in a clean, green, and beautiful community, and shares a responsibility to contribute to that vision.
The Keep America Beautiful Model for Change – steeped in education, research, and behavioral science – is the cornerstone of Keep America Beautiful. We empower generations of community and environmental stewards with volunteer programs, hands-on experiences, educational curricula, practical advice, and other resources. The organization is driven by the work and passion of more than 650 Keep America Beautiful affiliates, millions of volunteers, and the collaborative support of corporate partners, social and civic service organizations, academia, municipalities, elected officials, and individuals. Join us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. Donate and take action at kab.org.
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