Plogging is a blend of the Swedish phrase ‘plocka upp’ (meaning ‘pick up’) and ‘jogging.’

Combining jogging with intermittent squatting, plogging offers exercise benefits while supporting your community and the environment.

Keep America Beautiful ^®, headquartered in Connecticut, is partnering with nearby The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk for an inaugural plogging 5K event called the Trash Dash. Registration for the Trash Dash on Sept. 15 can be found here. 

With as much as 95% percent of Connecticut’s population living within 50 miles of Long Island Sound, this plog aims to clean up the streets of Norwalk, as well as prevent litter and debris from entering local waterways.

Plogging empowers people of all ages to help create cleaner, greener, and more beautiful communities. Litter impacts our quality of life and economic development, and often ends up as marine debris, polluting our waterways and oceans, and harming wildlife and the environment. With plogging, all you need is running gear and a bag for trash or recyclables.

In addition to benefiting the community environment, one hour of plogging burns an average of 288 calories; that compares with an average of 235 calories for jogging, according to the fitness app Lifesum.

By plogging, people across the country – and the world – can make a direct impact in their local community. If running is not your speed, take part in the environmental craze by walking and picking up litter, sometimes referred to as ‘plalking.’

Show off the hard work you’ve done and post about it! Use the #KABplogging hashtag and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to stay up to date on the latest Keep America Beautiful plogging initiatives.

Thanks to the Keep America Beautiful plogging Title Sponsor, Dart Container Corporation.