The benefits of Plogging

 Keith Paterson has established our Holy Trinity Plogging group. He explains below some of the many benefits of Plogging and why our group is a significant element of our Christian community here.

Why Get Involved in Plogging?

Our contribution to solving Planet Earth’s big environmental problems is of course tiny, but nonetheless highly symbolic, expressing our determination to engage meaningfully with sustainable eco-practices and principles. Such contributions are sorely needed today given the major global threats of climatic warming, bio-diversity extinctions, marine and terrestrial pollution and resource depletion.

Eco Church Benefits

As a Christian community we are called to respond to the problems, misuse and plight of the Earth’s inter-connected physical systems (Atmosphere, Biosphere, Hydrosphere, Lithosphere) and in particular, to strive in meaningful and practical ways to better protect and restore these system in

meaningful and practical ways. The legacy generated for the young and for future generations needs to be a sustainable one, which is not the case currently. Embedding "creation-care" for God’s earth involves many challenges and opportunities. We need to find energy-efficient ways of achieving a ‘net zero carbon’ energy budget for our church  buildings and transport needs in the decade ahead.

We need to think carefully about how to best manage our church garden/cemetery as green spaces, facilitating their use for people and nature. We also need to identify how we can engage in different ways and at different levels by ‘thinking globally, acting locally’. For example:

• by not forgetting the dire needs of the poor and marginalised in developing countries as well as those within our own society

• through our actions locally protecting habitats at different scales

• in identifying major issues concerning international and domestic waste management, and poignantly for our locality, what is now happening on-shore with rubbish in Nice which links crucially with knock-on feeder effects for the off-shore. 

Earth’s oceans cover approximately 70% of the globe and are critically important to all life, supporting everything including our incredible biodiversities, our fishing activities and their communities and general global trade. Undoubtedly we need better protection of these marine resources from numerous misuses and pollutants, as witnessed by the plastics and cigarettes that our Plogging group habitually picks up from the streets and beaches and which would otherwise often end up in the sea.

Each cigarette dumped and each piece of waste that we collect as a group illustrates how we deal with waste and refuse as a community, how not to treat the environment as an unhealthy ashtray, how we tackle the problems of pollution and its impact on aquatic ecosystems in the Mediterranean and beyond, and also how we facilitate recycling by passing on our tens of thousands of cigarette ends for processing to the Recyclop plant in Marseille who use them as an energy source to produce electricity.

What we achieve as a Group is a small drop in the ocean, so to speak, but an integral part of our Eco Church framework. 

Plogging thus fits naturally into discussions concerning local actions and global engagement and is a key aspect of our A Rocha Eco Church framework. Holy Trinity Plogging focuses on taking practical actions in our backyard; by so doing we are inviting others to join our conversation about the work needed for a better Nice and for a better world.

If we look for comparisons, we note that in Sweden 99% of rubbish is recycled!

Thanks to Waste-to-Energy plants they burn non-recyclables to generate electricity. Scarcely 1% ends up in landfills. Their example underlines our growing need to apply ‘Circular Economy’ principles (Refuse-Reuse-Recycle) to achieve a more sustainable future in Nice.

Another direct and positive benefit of Plogging is the improved  environment it provides for everyone that keeps Nice appealing and attractive for those living in the metropolis and the many visitors who provide a key source of income throughout the year and upon whom the city depends.

Plogging automatically involves engagement with local people and the street community. Most Ploggers can recall being approached with favourable comments by onlookers, shopkeepers, tourists and Niçois citizens, about how they support what we do and their hopes for a better environment and more respect. Frequently our Ploggers are offered drinks and sometimes snacks. Our presence facilitates frequent encounters and valuable communication links with our neighbourhood and this positive outcome is appreciated as an honourable example of a needy cause.

Finally, a big plus point is that ‘Plogging gets us out of our armchairs and into the outdoors…’ which is good news for those looking for health benefits and exercise in the open air. It involves walking, bending and stretching to pick up waste. This can be done gently or quickly in your own particular way. Participation is open to all including those with mobility impediments. Indeed, Nice ‘HandyPlogging’ caters specifically for those with disabilities or in wheelchairs.

Plogging has a great deal to offer ……just give it a try!

Make it your weekly ‘Happy Hour with a difference’.

For Further information contact Keith PATERSON - keithpaters@gmail.com 

If you want to know more about Plogging in Nice visit www.niceplogging.com