Show Mother Nature How Much You Love Her at Plike Newport
Clean up the City by the Sea this Sunday by picking up litter by bike alongside other nature lovers.
Plikers collecting trash on Newport grounds. Photo by Claire Nelson.
It’s rare to go for a jog or bike ride without seeing candy wrappers and plastic bottles on the ground every few feet. A quick and fun solution to this hideous issue requires a bike, helmet, backpack/pannier, bag liners and gloves.
On Sunday, May 16 starting at 10 a.m., Bike Newport and the Eastern Rhode Island Conservation District (ERICD) are partnering together for Plike Newport, a free event rescheduled from last month’s Aquidneck Island Earth Week.
The term “pliking” is the act of picking up litter while you bike. It originates from the Swedish term “plocka up,” meaning “pick up,” combined with biking. This term inspired the first annual Plike Newport event and potentially others to come.
Plike Newport’s Hannah Cobb and Jessica Freedman from ERICD are hosting the event together, and hope to reduce carbon footprints and improve our environment with the people who join them. Those who prefer can also participate on foot and opt to go plogging (you guessed it: picking up litter while you jog) or plalking.
“Pliking is a great and easy way for you to get outside and enjoy the spring weather, especially since we’ve all been cooped up inside for so long,” says Cobb, Plike Newport coordinator and avid cyclist. “It’s good for your mental and physical health, as well as for the Earth. You’re helping so many different aspects of your wellbeing and the earth’s wellbeing.”
Attendees should meet up at the parking lot behind Bike Newport’s headquarters (62 Broadway) and check in to receive gloves and reusable bags. Energize with coffee compliments of the Nitro Bar, along with pastries from Plant City and Provencal Bakery. Participants can also win prizes for “most trash by pound,” “best pliking selfie” and “most unique find.”
Before the start of the pliking journey, participants in separate groups can check out the map given to them, highlighting eight areas near Bike Newport such as First Beach, Second Beach, King Park, Brenton Point and others to bike or jog to.
“You get to cover a lot of ground as far as litter cleanup goes on a bike, and it’s carbon neutral, so you’re not putting any fossil fuels into the Earth,” says Cobb. She suggests that we actively think about the impact we have on the environment and how we can give back, whether it be on bike or on foot.
Register for the event here. Spots are limited, so sign up quickly. Visit bikenewportri.org for more info.
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