周末和朋友约跑，远远看她穿着一身利落的装备朝我跑来，跑鞋、速干衣/裤、鸭舌帽...

只是，一点点距离，她咋还跑跑停停？手上戴着一次性手套、拎着垃圾袋又是为啥？

朋友看我不解的眼神，说“土了吧，我这是Plogging.”

如果你像我一样，在北京或者上海，看到有年轻人边跑步边在路边「捡垃圾」，不用觉得奇怪，ta们把这叫作「Plogging」，一种既锻炼身体又保护环境的行为。

所以今天的Buzzword 就来聊聊“一石二鸟”“一箭双雕”的Plogging.

Plogging, p-l-o-g-g-i-n-g, haven't heard of it?

It's understandable because this new word really has only been around for 5 or 6 years, and also it wasn't originally an English word.

This word comes from Swedish.

这个词本来是瑞典语, 即使是在瑞典语里, 它也是一个拼接成的新词。

It's a combination of the Swedish verb “plocka upp”, which means “pick up”, 是瑞典语的捡起来, and “jogga ”, to jog, 和 “慢跑” 这两个词组成的新词, 瑞典语里是 "plogga".

But when it spreads around the world, especially getting into the English language, people just call it plogging.

Plogging

Plogging is a combination of jogging with picking up litter (merging the Swedish verbs plocka upp (pick up) and jogga (jog) gives the new Swedish verb plogga, from which the word plogging derives).

What is plogging？

The idea is very simple. It's a combination of jogging and picking up litter. Litter means trash, rubbish.

中文把它翻译成 “拾荒慢跑”.

It sounds a bit strange, doesn't it？

I know a lot of people in China also have the habit of jogging on a regular basis.

Plogging simply takes advantage of jogging and other outdoor sports to pick up the litter that spoils our cities and natural spaces.

其实这个概念很好理解, 我知道很多小伙伴应该也有定期户外慢跑的习惯；

所以plogging就是在你慢跑的时候看到垃圾就随手捡来放在一个垃圾袋里, 然后集中处理, 相当于一边健身一边保护环境。

The idea of this sustainable initiative is simplicity itself.

The participants or the ploggers take to the streets with rubbish bags to pick up the litter they come across while exercising.

而这些手拿垃圾袋一边慢跑运动, 一边捡垃圾保护环境的小可爱们就被叫做ploggers.

Origins of the Word

The founder of this activity was Erik Ahlstr?m, a Swedish guy who on leaving his hometown in 2016 to settle in Stockholm started to clean up the rubbish in the areas where he practiced his sport.

创始这项活动的是一个瑞典人, 2016年他从自己的家乡搬去了斯德哥尔摩, 就开始养成了这种一边户外锻炼一边清理垃圾的习惯。

Nowadays, thanks to social media, plogging is a global phenomenon involving over 20,000 people a day in more than a hundred countries.

Some plogging events have attracted over 3 million participants.

One of my favorite authors, David Sedaris, when he was living in England, he was also combining litter picking and exercise, taking up to 60,000 steps a day in pursuit of local rubbish.

He was so effective in keeping his neighborhood clean that the local authority named a waste vehicle in his honor.

美国作家David Sedaris, 他在英国住的时候, 就曾经有过这种类似于plogging的经历, 每天要走上6万多步, 然后去清理周边的公共垃圾。

所以他当时所住的镇子干脆就以他的名字荣誉冠名了当地的一个垃圾车, 听起来是不是还有点可爱？

Benefits of Plogging

Now plogging has very obvious environmental benefits, but there are also physical benefits.

A scientific study from 2022 found that plogging and jogging are comparable in terms of energy expenditure;

but that the proportion of energy coming from fat is significantly higher in plogging.

2022年就有一个研究说, 拾荒慢跑和单纯的慢跑相比, 虽然总热量消耗差不多, 但是plogging里更多消耗的是身体的脂肪。

This is probably because when these ploggers are picking up litter, they're using these opportunities to do full squat or lunge movements.

这可能是因为很多ploggers利用捡垃圾的动作, 顺势就来几个深蹲和箭步蹲, 不光强健了重要肌肉群, 还达到了更好的燃脂效果。

Why So Popular?

One of the most surprising aspects of plogging is its rapid international growth.

In scarcely 3 years, the initial impulse of an anonymous citizen has spread like wildfire through five continents;

and almost all the world's major cities, they all have plogging groups.

The reason why this is becoming a trend so quickly is a growing concern for ecology and a healthy lifestyle, the fashion for jogging, and the simplicity and community spirit.

之所以plogging会变得这么火, 是因为它的环保和健康属性, 并且它又是一个很简单可操作, 又很符合社群精神, 所以在社交媒体上变成了一个很潮的事儿。

And fans of this practice develop typical sporting values such as companionship, solidarity, effort, and perseverance at the same time as emphasizing their commitment to the environment.

所以ploggers一方面秉承了体育的精神, 另外一方面也展现了他们的环保意识。

Actually, there might be plogging events around you, and there are many ways you can make plogging more fun.

For example, you can plog in a group.

It is usually more fun if you join in with others to do it, even take your kids, make it a family exercise and environment day.

比如叫上朋友, 带上家人来一场集体的plogging events;

or like I said before, combining it with other exercises, use the opportunity when you're picking rubbish up to do squats or lunge.

This will strengthen your muscles and perhaps burn more fat.

You can also include competition dynamics, play in teams with other ploggers.

或者干脆和其他的ploggers来一场比赛.

See who can pick up the most litter in the shortest time.

At the end of the session, put all the rubbish together and take it to the nearest recycling point.

And of course, you can share your activity on social media to spread the movement and also for some bragging rights.

当然也可以发个圈得瑟一下, whichever way you choose.

It is a fun activity, beneficial for both your health and the environment. So why not？

Now let's move on to sample sentence.

例句示范

Example 1：

-Plogging is a new global trend that takes advantage of jogging and other outdoor sports to pick up the litter.