In this article, we are going to share on the World Environmental Day Commemoration and how Black Crystal took part in the plogging event.
Plogging – What is it?
Plogging is a combination of jogging with picking up litter, merging the Swedish verbs plocka upp (pick up) and jogga (jog) gives the new Swedish verb plogga, from which the word plogging derives. It started as an organized activity in Sweden around 2016 and spread to other countries in 2018, following increased concern about plastic pollution.
Stockholm Sweden became the first city to host an organized “Plogga” in 2016. This event combined a jog, jogga in Swedish, with picking up litter, plocka up. Plogging is a change of attitude and plowers are proud garbage collectors who do something for our environment and health before it is too late.
This year(2023), on the World Environment Day (05 June), the Ministry of Environment, Climate and Tourism, along with a number of supporting organizations (ZELA, Miracle Missions, Spar Zimbabwe among many others) held their first ever plogging event to commemorate World Environment Day. Black Crystal https://blackcrystal.co.zw attended this plogging event and we are going to share what we learnt from this session.
World Environment Day
Led by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and held annually on 5 June since 1973, World Environment Day is the largest global platform for environmental public outreach and is celebrated by millions of people across the world.
The theme for World Environment Day on 5 June 2023 focussed on solutions to plastic pollution under the campaign #BeatPlasticPollution.
The world is being inundated by plastic. More than 400 million tonnes of plastic is produced every year, half of which is designed to be used only once. Of that, less than 10 per cent is recycled. An estimated 19-23 million tonnes end up in lakes, rivers and seas. Today, plastic clogs our landfills, leaches into the ocean and is combusted into toxic smoke, making it one of the gravest threats to the planet.
Time is running out, and nature is in emergency mode. To keep global warming below 1.5°C this century, we must halve annual greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. Without action, exposure to air pollution beyond safe guidelines will increase by 50 per cent within the decade and plastic waste flowing into aquatic ecosystems will nearly triple by 2040. We need urgent action to address these pressing issues.
Black Crystal and their participation in the World Environment Day Plogging Activities
On the 5th of June 2023, Black Crystal along with many other organisations and individuals gathered together at Harare Showgrounds in the early morning ready to exercise and pick some litter.
From left; Vongai Muringayi, Mazviita Shadaya and Miriam Chiduku ready to go for plogging
Five (5) plogging stations were set up in the five corners surrounding the Showground. The Black Crystal team went on to jog with other participants at the the second station along Rekai Tangwena road, towards the Harare Showgrounds. They jogged with the team whilst picking up litter.
The day was filled with many events such as Zumba, viewing tables from different participants. Black Crystal even had its own table showcasing their services and even the products of their affiliates ie., Glass for Africa
