Ecosave Plogging Day 2025

 EcoSave Plogging Day 2025

written by Hyunseok Elliott Lee

On July 5, 2025, EcoSave members and volunteers met at Banpodaegyo to run — and "plog," aka jog and pick up litter. Just like the 237 Run held on the same day at the same time, this campaign was meant to acknowledge the 237 million children worldwide who lack any legal identity but simultaneously raise awareness without intruding on their freedom with a visible change for residents in and around Seoul.

Armed with gloves and biodegradable trash bags, joggers crossed the bridge and meandered down side paths, picking up plastic bottles, wrappers, and litter stubbornly discarded in the streets. Every piece of trash added to the pile forced people to acknowledge how international decisions and lapses in responsibility impact local populations and even their very own daily lives — much like how ignoring 237 million children does to their development as well.

Thus, the symbolism of plogging occurred on two levels. First, it combatted the urgent local problem of urban pollution and the responsibility of all of mankind to take care of the earth that they shared. Second, it mirrored the ultimate goal of the 237 campaign — that small, incremental changes make all the difference. One run cannot fix the identity problem around the world. One clean-up cannot reverse pollution throughout cities. But each effort marks commitment, collective unity, and an ultimate hope.

Much like the name tags from the 237 Run, these featured names and facts of children benefitting from OpenHands. Therefore, EcoSave connected the physically realized act of cleaning with the symbolism behind running for an identity to stress how there is no such thing as too much effort for advocacy — either one can care for their planet or they can care for its children or they can do both.

The event concluded with the collection of trash in bags that would be separated post-event for recycling purposes. Volunteers spoke out about how they connected their personal connections to their daily realistic behaviors and international injustices. Many claimed that plogging helped them maintain a visualized purpose with an essentially invisible situation for kids who had no identity.

And as a result, EcoSave's event occurred through a dual-focus on environmental and social justice concerns. Ultimately, small efforts — picking up a single bottle, running a single kilometer, telling a single story — are often what creates change first.

On July 5, 2025, EcoSave showed that not every advocacy effort has to occur through a speech or a presentation — sometimes it's as simple as running and picking up trash and refusing to let the invisible stay unseen.