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Washington Evening Journal
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Washington, IA 52353
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Fairfield Beautification Commission promotes ‘plogging,’ picking up litter while you jog
FAIRFIELD — The Fairfield Beautification Commission hopes to inspire residents to clean up the town when they’re out for a jog.
The commission will have a booth at this Friday’s Art Walk in Central Park where it will be promoting the joy of “plogging.” It’s a new and growing movement that involves cleaning up litter as a person goes on a walk or run. The word originated in Sweden where the Swedes combined their verb plocka upp (pick up) and jogga (jog) to make the new verb plogga.
Commission member Lou Bolster was the one who brought the concept to the commission’s attention in July. The other commission members liked it, and even acquired a few “plogging” bags for people to wear while out on a jog that they can put trash in. At Friday’s Art Walk, residents can sign up for a chance to win one of the plogging bags.
Commission member Deborah Williamson is spearheading the plogging initiative. She said the first step will be to collect a list of volunteers who are interested in this idea, who can then start planning events around it.
“We could come up with a list of target locations to clean up, but it will depend on the volunteers,” Williamson said. “It will be a democratic process. We’ll brainstorm locations so people feel more invested and engaged.”
Williamson said the plogging bags that the group has acquired are wearable and washable.
“They’re very useful, and they will help us brand this campaign,” she said. “We hope that eventually we’ll have an army of people carrying around these bags.”
The Fairfield Beautification Commission holds a yearly Streetsweepers Ball where volunteers tidy up Central Park by pulling weeds in the sidewalk cracks and performing other maintenance to make the park look nice. The commission’s other work involves maintaining garden nodes in Central Park, planting trees, and fostering public painting projects. It also recognizes homeowners who beautify their lawns and gardens through its Rose Award.
Call Andy Hallman at 641-575-0135 or email him at andy.hallman@southeastiowaunion.com
