Press ReleaseA group of some of Emeryville’s most well known businesses — Clif Bar, Decathlon and IKEA, in collaboration with city leaders and Save The Bay, are teaming up to launch the first-ever “plogging” event in Emeryville that combines the adrenaline of running with the environmental stewardship of picking up litter. A Swedish tradition, “plogging” is a combination of the words jogging and plocka upp, the Swedish term for “pick up.” The event features three route options, with the goal of cleaning nearly ten miles of city streets.
Open to the public, the event will start on Saturday, September 21, at IKEA Emeryville. All routes will finish at Decathlon, two blocks from IKEA Emeryville, for a party with food, music, prizes and giveaways, including exclusive event t-shirts made from recycled plastic bottles for the first 100 participants, tote bags and other gifts from participating companies.
“This event combines everything that we are passionate about at Decathlon: sports, community and our planet,” said Jennifer Tetrick, Director of Communications and PR for Decathlon USA. “We’re excited to bring plogging to the East Bay. Last year, Decathlon’s global teams collected over 73 tons of trash, and we hope to help top that number this year – and together, make the world a cleaner place.”
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Greg Long, a professional big wave surfer, Clif Bar Athlete, and environmental activist, will be joining in the event. Despite having won multiple world titles and numerous big wave awards, Greg acknowledges his greatest accomplishment as his ability to use his life stories and lessons learned in the ocean to teach and inspire others to live as responsible stewards for our planet. Greg works alongside a number of environmental organizations to help educate and raise awareness surrounding the health of the ocean and the natural world.
“This day is all about the power of communities coming together around shared values,” said Carolina Leonhardt, Sustainability Project Manager, Clif Bar & Company. “We’re especially excited to have Greg Long plogging along with us. He is a true champion in his sport and a champion for the environment.”
“At IKEA, being a good neighbor and demonstrating commitment to community is an essential part of who we are,” said Maike Buhmann, Store Manager, IKEA Emeryville. “We are proud to be a part of “Clean up to Green Up” and to help kick-off the first-ever city-wide plogging event, especially as a company with strong Swedish roots.”
The companies have previously participated in plogging events around the world, with Decathlon’s cleanup event last year resulting in over 73 tons of trash pickup globally and Clif Bar’s company-wide plogging challenge for Earth Day 2018. The group is encouraging people around the country and world to join this plogging challenge and to join the conversation using the hashtag #PickItUp2019.
The event will begin on Saturday, September 21 at 8:30 a.m. at IKEA and finish between 10am-12pm at Decathlon where participants can enjoy food & refreshments, prizes & giveaways and a photo wall.
To sign up for the event and get information on how to plog in your community, visit EmeryvilleCleanUpToGreenup2019.eventbrite.com.
