April 23 Plog among bevy of Earth Week activities

by Michele Collins

Hudson residents have the opportunity to combine two important activities into one, on Saturday, April 23, from 10 a.m. to noon.  A “plog” is scheduled for residents of all ages.

What’s a plog? Well it’s a litter collection combined with walking, jogging or even walking your dog. In other words, you combine aerobic exercise with litter clean up, and voila, you have helped yourself and your community – all before lunch.

According to Eric Hancsak, who is the creator of gogreengo.com and a former member of Hudson’s Environmental Awareness Committee, the term “plogging” originated in Sweden and is a combination of the Swedish verbs plockaa upp (pick up) and jogga (jog). It loosely translates to “picking up litter while jogging” and has become a popular activity in the U.S.

He said this is the third year of the Hudson Plog, and the one he hopes will have the most participation.

“In the past we were affected by COVID-19 cancellations, but this year, with the Plog being part of Hudson’s Earth Week Celebration, April 18-23, I think the word will really get out.”

Hancsak said plogging is important to keeping litter at bay throughout the city. And although this a planned event on April 23, residents should continue to pickup litter all year long.

Parking lots, he suggested, are a great place to start. Litter is usually scattered on the edges pf these areas. The second best place may be on your very own street. Hancsak said especially on trash pick up days, litter escapes trash cans or gets blown away before making it into garbage trucks.

“Trash day is definitely a day to get out and pick up litter,” he said.

Collecting litter in a reuseable bucket means less plastic bag waste, Hancsak added. You can pick up individual pieces with a bucket and fill an entire bag before putting in a trash bin. Also, think about what kinds of waste bags you are using, and always think green, he said.

In addition to the Plog, residents can learn about green activities through Earth Week in Hudson, which is set for April 18-23.

According to Karen Farkas of the Hudson Environmental Awareness Committee and Emily Fernandez, the city’s liaison to the EAC, Earth Week 2022 offers events to encourage everyone to “go green.”

“This year, we’re going bigger. The city of Hudson and the Hudson Environmental Awareness Committee are hosting events all week in honor of Earth Week. The main event will be held at Hudson City Hall instead of downtown. This Earth Week Celebration will include a vendor show like the one Hudson has held in the past, plus many other fun features,” said Farkas. 

The Earth Week Celebration is slated for Saturday, April 23, 12-4 p.m. at Hudson City Hall, 1140 Terex Rd. It is free and will include free collection trucks for paper shredding and for old electronics in addition to an electric vehicle car show, live music and a youth art exhibit.  For a full list of Earth Week activities, visit hudson.oh.us/EarthWeek. ∞