An environmental advocate has embarked on an ambitious 50-city tour that is sure to get participants' hearts pumping as communities are beautified.
Vivek Gurav (@theplogman) began picking up litter when jogging after realizing his desire for more practical environmental action. That desire grew into a "plogging" movement — inspired by a Swedish initiative that combines the terms "jogging" and plocka upp, or picking up — that invites volunteers to actively participate in being part of a cleaner tomorrow.
"If they go and pick up rubbish or do some form of biodiversity conservation, it's going to bring them closer to the green spaces. It's not just about climate change overall, but it's also more about the small things," Gurav, 29, told the PA news agency, per the Independent.
"[Disruptive protest] also brings a sense of refusing responsibility towards the environment and just blaming everything on the government, which I don't think is the only approach," he added.
Gurav's individual journey began in his home city of Pune, India, in 2013. Ultimately, according to the Independent, his community also got involved in plogging, and collectively, teams have now picked up more than 22,000 tons of litter.
When Gurav went to the United Kingdom in 2021 to study at the University of Bristol, he continued the movement. In 2023, he completed a 30-day tour of 30 cities that attracted 250 volunteers, as the BBC reported.
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"It feels fantastic to have seen almost all the major cities in the U.K. in the shortest span while also doing something I love," Gurav said at the time.
Two years later, the plogger's impact is clear. Pune Ploggers, Gurav's nonprofit founded in 2019, highlights some of the accolades the environmental advocate has earned while helping connect more than 2,500 ploggers across 530-plus campaigns.
In 2022, Gurav was honored with the United Kingdom's daily Points of Light award, which recognizes outstanding volunteers positively impacting their communities.
"Every individual matters, every action counts in the race to fight climate change, and this award strengthens this belief of my entire community of ploggers based in India as well as U.K. to keep going," Gurav said in a release from the Prime Minister's office. That same year, he also spoke at the 17th United Nations Climate Change Conference of Youth, per the Independent.
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Beyond the clear environmental and community benefits of removing waste from public spaces, the plogging initiative has brought participants joy and a sense of purpose.
"Joining Pune Ploggers has been a source of immense happiness and relaxation for me. It's not just a platform for expressing diverse opinions, but a welcoming space where people of all ages can participate without hesitation," plogger Harsh Jain shared with the nonprofit.
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