Staying fit the environment friendly way

[webfact]

Staying fit the environment friendly way

By RACHANON CHAROONSAK 
THE NATION

 

 

“PLOGGING”, an eco-friendly fitness trend, has made its way from Sweden to Thailand where it is gaining popularity.

 

The trend is about running while collecting litter. “Plogging” is coined from “jogging” and the Swedish term plocka upp, which means “to pick up”.

 

Last week, the Blue Carbon Society (BCS) promoted plogging in Thailand by mobilising hundreds of volunteers to collect trash on Samut Prakan’s Bang Kachao, an artificial island formed by a bend in the Chao Phraya River. 

 

 

Participants came to the event titled “Blue Plogging” with plastic trash bags and water bottles to avoid creating waste. 

 

They scooped up trash along the running route and received a medal for their good deeds when they reached the finish line. 

 

Bang Kachao is an island in Samut Prakan’s Phra Pradaeng district. Formed by a bend in the Chao Phraya River and a canal, the island is often described as “Bangkok’s green lung” for its mangrove forests and rich biological diversity. The area was picked by Time magazine in 2006 as Asia’s “Best Urban Oasis”.

 

But Bang Kachao has suffered increasingly from garbage accumulation since the Bang Nam Phueng floating market became a famous tourist spot. Litter left on the island each day has risen has nearly doubled to 8,000 kilograms from around 4,500kg in 2004.

 

A study by the Bang Kachao Sub-district Administrative Organisation found that plastic bags made up a major portion of this rubbish (40 per cent), followed by organic waste (26 per cent), recyclable items such as glass bottles and milk cartons (24 per cent), general garbage (8 per cent), and toxic waste (2 per cent).

 

BCS staged the “Blue Plogging” event in collaboration with DT Group of Companies and Shellhut Entertainment to clean up litter and highlight how rubbish – especially plastic items – can damage coastal and marine ecosystems.

 

 

Established by Dr Jwanwat and Thippaporn Ahriyavraromp earlier this year, BCS is a non-profit association dedicated to pushing for action to protect and restore ecosystems such as mangroves, seagrass meadows and salt marshes.

 

“Imagine that one person can collect 2kg of trash in half a day … If 60 million Thais rolled up their sleeves and start plogging together, then 120 million kg of trash would be eliminated,” Jwanwat said.

 

He said “Blue Plogging” was in line with BSC strategies to protect the seas and conserving biological diversity of marine and coastal ecosystems.

 

“Rescuing these marine creatures from plastic debris ensures the balance of marine ecosystems and their function as a ‘blue carbon’ sink,” Thippaporn said. 

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30346621

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-05-31

[cornishcarlos]

24 minutes ago, webfact said:

the Blue Carbon Society (BCS) promoted plogging in Thailand

 

That's great and I'm a runner myself, but....

How about promoting anti littering, starting in schools and in every government office ??

Cut out the middle man 

[Get Real]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

But Bang Kachao has suffered increasingly from garbage accumulation since the Bang Nam Phueng floating market became a famous tourist spot. Litter left on the island each day has risen has nearly doubled to 8,000 kilograms from around 4,500kg in 2004.

Ooooh Nooo! These mean and nasty tourists have been at it again.

[theguyfromanotherforum]

I'm not cleaning anyone's garbage

[mok199]

 why must it be ''facebook trendy'',before thais want to ''jump on the bandwagon'' with a grandstanding photo opp!!!...its simple ,respect your country, do not throw garbage on the ground or in the ocean...

[klauskunkel]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

If 60 million Thais rolled up their sleeves and start plogging together, then 120 million kg of trash would be eliminated,” Jwanwat said.

if 60 million Thais changed their trash disposal habits, then there would be no need for plogging.

[VocalNeal]

Staying fit the environmental way is not driving to Phra Pradaeng to pick up litter or not driving out of town to ride a mountain bike. 

 

We need to come up with a way to clarify local environment vs the big picture. 

 

 

[nausea]

A few more wastepaper bins here and there might help. And regularly emptying them would be good. 

[digger70]

There's a lot better way to do this ,,,,Every one put their Own Rubbish IN a Wheelie Bin (not on the ground or in drains ) and The Government/Council Empty the Wheelie bin With an Automated  Garbage truck (Just 1 operator)  (not like here 3  people and a driver  Hand dumping in an leaking open back Truck)for a small Price Twice a Week Like in Western Countries ,,    SOOOoooo Easy  and No Rubbish Anywhere    ?     ,,, I Ain't picking up anyones Shit ,,,Only my Own ,My Parents Taught me that,,,  ?

[Tongjaw]

6 hours ago, klauskunkel said:

if 60 million Thais changed their trash disposal habits, then there would be no need for plogging.

Actually the Thai populations is Just over 69m as of 2018. If the majority of the 35m tourist a year also disposed of their rubbish then I agree no need for plogging. Although plogging does have a certain ring to it. Just heading out for a bit of plogging teerak ? 

[VocalNeal]

7 minutes ago, digger70 said:

he Government/Council Empty the Wheelie bin With an Automated  Garbage truck (Just 1 operator)  (not like here 3  people and a driver ...)

We were give new wheeled bins. All stolen eventually. Why deny the other guys their livelihoods. The existing tucks don't have the machinery for the wheeled bins that get stolen. Our soi is reasonably clean. Garbage collected daily, at night).2+ plus guys and a truck.

[digger70]

5 minutes ago, VocalNeal said:

We were give new wheeled bins. All stolen eventually. Why deny the other guys their livelihoods. The existing tucks don't have the machinery for the wheeled bins that get stolen. Our soi is reasonably clean. Garbage collected daily, at night).2+ plus guys and a truck.

 Council supplied an open plastic 44 Gallon drum and we pay a few THB per year, when the empty the drums What Blows away stays on the ground ,sometimes they collect ones sometime twice

[wirat69]

13 hours ago, cornishcarlos said:

 

How about promoting anti littering, starting in schools and in every government office ??

 

5 hours ago, nausea said:

A few more wastepaper bins here and there might help. And regularly emptying them would be good. 

CornishCarlos has obviously never looked at a School curriculum Prescription... 'cos Students do learn about environment, pollution and keeping the community clean.

Nausea obviously does not live in Chonburi City where blue bins are almost everywhere and cleared daily.

Generalisations, such as these, are quite unhelpful in an educated discussion group....

[cornishcarlos]

10 hours ago, wirat69 said:

 

CornishCarlos has obviously never looked at a School curriculum Prescription... 'cos Students do learn about environment, pollution and keeping the community clean.

Nausea obviously does not live in Chonburi City where blue bins are almost everywhere and cleared daily.

Generalisations, such as these, are quite unhelpful in an educated discussion group....

 

Well this deserves a reply, to help an "educated discussion"...

 

Just because it's on the curriculum, does not mean that it is a priority or even taught. This is evident every day, as I see kids dropping litter outside schools and their parents doing exactly the same !!

Wirat, obviously, lives in Chonburi City, where they have bins. Wirat has, obviously, never traveled outside of Chonburi City..

 

There ends my reply to an equally unhelpful response to the OP ?

[Crossy]

13 hours ago, digger70 said:

for a small Price Twice a Week Like in Western Countries

In the UK you're lucky to get two collections a month for a massive fee.

[cornishcarlos]

2 minutes ago, Crossy said:

In the UK you're lucky to get two collections a month for a massive fee.

 

We pay here in Surat but they rarely empty our bin. Lost count of the times Mrs C has had to go and complain !!

Mind you, it costs like 20 baht a month or something stupid  ?

[digger70]

6 hours ago, Crossy said:

In the UK you're lucky to get two collections a month for a massive fee.

Yea it's a lot more expensive  than here  in  Aus too but there they collect weekly for rubbish ,every 2 weeks I think the other bins for paper ,glass ,plastic and one for garden waste.