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While world leaders seek agreements for the environment at the Climate Summit in Glasgow (Scotland), a new sport emerges to fight for the planet. It’s called ‘plogging’, it came to Spain through Ibiza, and in less than three years has recovered more than 25 tons of garbage in nature and generated an economic impact of 3.8 million euros.
More than 6. 500 people and 290 entities in Spain have joined this sporting discipline , which emerged in Sweden -where its name comes from, joining the Swedish expression ‘plocka upp’ which means to collect , and the English ‘running’-, which combines walking or running through nature with collecting waste.
“We are more and more people and entities in more cities in Spain and around the world, aware of the benefits of sport for health. If we can also improve the cities and towns in which we live, raise awareness about the circular economy and act against climate change, we ensure our future and that of the next generations ”, Óscar Caro, director of the ‘Plogging Tour’ explains to EFE.
This initiative was born in Ibiza in 2018 and to date it has traveled to cities such as Malaga, Palma de Mallorca, Seville, Madrid, A Coruña, Barcelona, Bilbao, Valencia, Zaragoza, Ibiza or Teruel and recovered more than 25. 400 kilos of garbage of protected areas, urban areas, forests and beaches of the Spanish geography.
In these activities, which form part of the Nationale-Nederlanden Plogging Tour, the first tour in Europe that combines sport and ecology, with the support of the Higher Sports Council, have recovered waste of all kinds from plastic products to cans, bottles, items hygiene, wipes, textiles, tires, construction debris and 1. 492 butts.
The organizers of these activities ensure that this type of conference not only interests people who are aware of caring for the environment in the areas in which they are organized, but also visitors from other countries attracted by “the binomial of tourism and sports” linked to sustainability.
This impact is not only environmental, but also generates economic returns. Sources from the organization assure EFE that among all its activities they have generated an economic impact of more than 3.8 million euros. Only in the Balearic Islands, thanks to the seasonal adjustment of tourism they offer, they have contributed 1.5 million in the low season of tourism on the islands.
“With local actions, united and cooperating among all social actors, we can achieve global benefits. The time to act is now, as was again evidenced during the COP 26 from Glasgow ”, adds Caro, at the head of the entity that manages this incipient sporting modality and aware of the future of the planet.