Perhaps in future you’ll think even more about the colours and clothes you choose, because, as we’ve just learnt, this can have a big influence on yourself and on others. Don’t forget to read the first post in our series to find out what functions colours fulfil in the field of industrial health and safety … and, believe it or not, we have plenty more to say on the subject of PPE and its colours – so much in fact that there’ll soon be another blog post on this topic. Check back here soon so you won’t miss it!
Is Sweden only famous for its meatballs and IKEA Billy shelving? Absolutely not! The latest Nordic trend to capture our collective iamgination is “plogging”. This portmanteau word is a combination of “jogging” and “plocka” – the Swedish word for “collecting”. But what exactly is collected while jogging? Well, joggers carry a jute bag with them, either on their back or in their hand, and whenever they spot a bottle, cup or any other litter, they stop for a second to pick up the rubbish. Consequently, plogging is not only good for our figures, but also for the environment. We chatted to uvex plogger, Renata, about this new sporting trend.
sport against environmental pollution
“For me, plogging is probably less of a hobby and more of a motivation to do something useful as well as sporty,” Renata explains. “Did you know that 80% of the plastic polluting the sea originally comes from the land?” And it isn’t just this volume of plastic polluting our oceans that is so shocking: every year, at least a further eight tonnes of plastic end up in the sea – an increasing danger to thousands of marine creature and birds.
Ploggers are aiming to make a contribution to ridding the planet of this global plastic scourge. And although it is possible to do this perfectly well individually, Renata also believes strongly in community action: “As a rule, I tend to join clean-up events”, she says, referring us to a Nuremberg Plogging-Group on Facebook, which organises numerous litter collection campaigns in the region. It is also worth checking out www.beachcleaner.de, which organises further events and provides a wealth of information on everything connected with a plastic-free living.
Sport rule number one: no injuries!
Renata is an enthusiastic novice plogger, but is already aware of one thing: “If you don’t wear safety gloves, the chances of sustaining injuries from shards of glass, bottle caps and other sharp objects are fairly high”. Wearing protective gloves is also a question of hygiene, since along with plastic, ploggers also pick up cigarette butts and similar objects that really shouldn’t be handled with bare hands.
Renata never fails to take her uvex phynomic protectives gloves with her to these events: “They fit well and while I still have enough dexterity in my hands, while I am also safe in the knowledge that they are robust enough to protect me from injury.” And so, because she is so well equipped, Renata doesn’t have to worry about hurting her hands and can concentrate fully on her hobby.
More on the subject "Plogging"
We should like to thank Renata for introducing us to this unusual blend of sport and common public interest – and we are delighted that uvex products also play a role in her leisure pursuit. If you would like to gain further insights into plogging, please make sure to take a look at the photo gallery as well.
Anyone wishing to find out more on the subject will find two videos on clean-up and plogging event “Earth Day 2018”:
- Nordbayern.de (German): Plogging: Swedish fitness trend takes over Nuremberg
- FrankenFernsehen.tv (German): Jogging and collecting litter: Plogging is the latest sporting craze
uvex is delighted that its industrial health and safety products are used in the private domain as well as professional working life. However, we are of course unable to ensure that the appropriate products are used for the respective activity. Therefore, uvex does not accept any liability for the accuracy, maintenance and correct application of its products and their condition, nor can it be held liable for non-uvex products.