The Swedish Crown Princess Victoria presented the WWF award to Plogga’s founder and read his acceptance speech

Read more about the motivation on the WWF website  https://www.wwf.se/pressmeddelande/erik-ahlstrom-ar-arets-miljohjalte-2025/

On the Royal House website https://www.kungahuset.se/arkiv/nyheter/2025-11-14-kronprinsessan-i-tyresta-nationalpark-med-wwf

Here follows Erik’s  acceptance speech to the Crown Princess and the WWF board and invited guests:

 Creating a new habit and changing a stigma

-Thank you very much to the World Wildlife Fund for the award, it means a lot and above all it is my hope that we join hands in Sweden and around the world with WWF, we share the same values ​​and goals, mother earth is not doing so well, but Plogging is probably the easiest thing you can do for the environment and your own health. This award is not just about me – it is about all of us, and about something very simple: creating a new habit and breaking a stigma.

We move too little these days. We sit still, we look down at our phones hour after hour, but when we’re out walking or running… what do we use our hands for? Usually nothing! So why not use them for something meaningful? Bend down, pick up that trash. It’s not a big deal, but together it becomes enormous.

Let me show you what I mean (and I run around, smile, appreciate and look people in the eye)  This is Plogging! But you don’t have to jog, you can just as well walk, paddle or use a  skateboard. Carina, who is sitting over there, came up with the name, Gothenburg’s humor and feminine feeling. That’s how Plogging was born – a new word, just like ombudsman, smörgåsbord or knäckebröd. A Swedish word that has taken the world by storm.

And it’s not just about picking up trash. It’s about pride, about taking responsibility, about caring. Last night I came back from having trained, coaching a hundred runners in Uzbekistan during the Samarkand Marathon, we call it #runbutrunwithapurpose On Wednesday I’m going to Colombia to meet my Plogging groups like Plogging Colombia and Plogging Mexico, we call it #travelbuttravewithapurpose. We show the locals that there’s something crazy about the trash on the streets and in nature. 10 years have passed, we’ve visited over 40 countries to show and spread Swedish values.

In the same way that the Crown Princess does in such a fantastically positive way, we call it #withknowingcomescaringwithcaringcomeschange and many have probably seen Prince Oscar when he exclaims -Plastic in nature when he is out on his toy scooter with his parents in 2019.

We want to change the stigma. That it shouldn’t be strange to pick up someone else’s trash, it should be strange not to! When we bend down and pick, we show consideration  for nature, for our children, for the future. I hope that plogging becomes a natural part of everyday life, maybe even something that all children are allowed to do at school. Think what a difference it would make not only for the environment, but for how we see ourselves and our place in nature. We always talk about #action speaks louder than words, so that’s why we’re organizing a Plogging event in central Stockholm tomorrow at 1:00 PM, a lecture at Redadventure, used outdoor clothing, together with a South Korean TV company that wants to cover something typically Swedish, namely Plogging. Everyone is welcome. Thanks again WWF and I can’t wait to see you again.