JMU Plogging Abroad for a Better Environment

More than fifty students—Americans and Florentines alike—have participated today in a “plogging” team competition. Plogging is an idea born out of Sweden that has been exported all around the world—it involves picking up trash (from the Swedish for “picking up” (plock up) and jogging. Yesterday’s plogging experience took place in Florence’s Santo Spirito district, part of Florence’s historic city center.

The initiative is part of the 2019 edition of the Big Event, an annual volunteering event that James Madison University carries out in all of its American and semester abroad locations. This year’s event in Santo Spirito was organized by JMU and its local partner, the Via Maggio Association. The JMU-led plogging event is part of the celebrations program of the US consulate, which this year celebrates its 200-year presence in Florence.

On April 1, students met in the churchyard of the Santo Spirito basilica. Then, they divided into teams, armed themselves with gloves, bags, brushes and spatulas, and challenged each other. In addition to collecting rubbish, they also removed graffiti and abusive postings.

At the event’s conclusion, there was pizza and gelato for the team that collected the most waste.

Reference: http://www.ansa.it/toscana/notizie/2019/04/01/studenti-usa-puliscono-zona-di-s.spirito_2cb37e0e-b7ca-4bcf-bd01-a69ecd86e17a.html