The unprecedented growth of Bengaluru city has led to many complex problems. Out of the many problems that the city is facing, littering and the plastic waste problem are most concerning. On this Gandhi Jayanthi (October 2, 2018), with a mission to make Bengaluru a plastic-free City, GO Native in collaboration with Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), United Way Bengaluru, Namma Nimma Cycle Foundation and Let’s Be The Change are organising the first edition of Bengaluru Plog Run across 50 localities in Bengaluru.
The Bangalore Plog Run aims to
1. Make plogging a fitness activity
2. Enable a healthy environment in the city
3. Build a community of Ploggers who care for a plastic-free lifestyle.
This initiative aims to bring people together to fight the plastic debacle and create a plastic-free environment. The event was announced by N Manjunath Prasad, IAS, Commissioner, (BBMP) at the BBMP office along Prashanth Prakash, Chairman, United Way Bengaluru.
Plogging has become a popular form of awareness initiative with growing environmental concerns about littering and plastic waste. Plogging is basically jogging but with an eco-friendly upgrade. Instead of just jogging, the participants will jog through their designated track in their neighborhood which will implore them to pick up litter along the way.
Speaking during the announcement, N Manjunath Prasad, BBMP Commissioner said: “Though statutory bodies have banned plastic in many places, we still see people littering. An initiative of this sort will definitely encourage people to be more responsible as citizens. BBMP is supporting this initiative and would manage the waste collected during the Bangalore Plog Run”.
“Littering has become a concerning global issue that affects all of us. Usage of excessive plastic is alarming. The Bangalore Plog Run aims to be a popular plogging initiative looking at creating awareness on managing plastic waste” said Prashanth Prakash, Chairman, United Way Bengaluru.
Ramakrishna Ganesh, Chief Mentor plog.run, who started plogging in Nandi Hills area about 2 months ago with a group of 40 people and collected about 100+ bags of plastic waste said that Plogging across Bengaluru on a larger scale across will lead to a healthy environment.
“Plastic pollution & climate change are two sides of the same coin. As a product of extracting and refining fossil fuels for energy, the amount of plastic produced is influenced by the demand for and production of oil and gas. We should create alternative platform for replacing plastic and encouraging native products like jute, cotton etc to reduce the impact of plastic on environment and reduce the consumption of fossil fuels” said Murali HR, CEO of Namma Nimma Cycle Foundation.
“We have been working towards Swaccha Bengaluru for the past 5 years through extensive awareness programmes, cleanliness drives and educating citizens about the importance of waste segregation and the need to reduce and reuse plastic materials. Plogging was in line with our activities and missions and we hope this initiative inspires people to reduce plastic use” shared Anirudh Dutt, Founder of Let’s Be The Change.
Participation is made easy as interested volunteers can register through www.bengaluru.plog.run website. Since the event is being conducted at different localities of Bengaluru, choose your locality while filling the form and keep in touch with your ambassador as they reach out to you. The volunteers will also be given a plogging kit (Gloves, Garbage bags, Apron) for the Plog Run.
Get set to clean your locality on the 2nd October, 2018!
Registrations Open:
Website: https://bengaluru.plog.run/
Follow Bengaluru Plog Run on:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bengaluruplogrun/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Plog_Run/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bengaluruplogrun/
Image Caption: (Left to right): Jemcy Nanjappa, Coordinator, Plog.run, Manish Michael, CEO, United Way of Bengaluru, Ramakrishna Ganesh, Chief Mentor, Plog.run, N Manjunath Prasad, BBMP Commissioner , Murali HR, CEO of Namma Nimma Cycle, Anirudh Dutt, Founder, Lets Be The Change during the announcement of Bengaluru Plog Run 2018
Go Native is a holistic lifestyle brand that integrates food, commerce and community. Its vision is to revive India’s traditional sustainability practices so we’re able to leave a better world for the generations to come.
Namma Nimma Cycle Foundation is a Not For Profit focussed on sustainable mobility and bringing the culture of cycling into urban areas. Active in the area of Cycle sharing, Cycle Tourism , Cycle Infrastructure, Cycle Sports.
United Way Bengaluru is one of the city’s leading not for profit organisations which works tirelessly to bring a sustainable change in the society by providing equal opportunities to people from vulnerable communities. United Way Bengaluru works in the areas of Livelihood, Health, Environment and Education to create visible change and offers long lasting solutions.
Let’s Be The Change is a popular multiple-award winning NGO with a mission of building a cleaner and better society. Over the past 5 years, they have scaled from a group of 5 people to over a 1000 volunteers & a core team with an active board of trustees. With over 350 successful transformation projects and two mega projects under their belt, Let’s Be The Change has matured into a household name with great promise.
Note: This press note was shared by Meryl Mammen Kurien on behalf of United Way Bengaluru, and published here with minimal edits.