Deedmob Conversations: Plogger & Entrepreneur, Nico Schoen

Photo by Walter Herfst, via NRC

Nico's love for people and improving our society make him an important member of the Deedmob community. We asked him as a guest to tell us more about his career as a plogger & entrepreneur at Bureau Netwerk. His profile on Deedmob!

Some of you may know him from the summer plogging sessions we organised together, showing you that volunteering doesn't have to be difficult. But who is Nico really? Find out in the video below!

https://youtu.be/XVCGHEZdBes

What is plogging and when did you start?

The definition of plogging: jogging & picking up litter.

"About 15 years ago I started picking up litter in the nature park where I used to run regularly. I was inspired by a well-known Dutch journalist who had been doing it herself for years."

"Gradually I started doing it more and more intensively and now it has become a kind of addiction. That's because it does so much to me. Picking up other people's rubbish' is of course a very humble activity, but I try to use it to make other people more aware of what is lying around in public places."

Does plogging really work?

"It's about people becoming more aware of the connection between all sorts of phenomena. First of all, they have to take good care of themselves, but also of their surroundings. About the people they live with, but also about public spaces because we all have an interest in them."

"When they are clean, a lot of people feel more comfortable. There are a lot of people who are terribly annoyed by litter but do nothing about it. They expect the local authority to clear it up, but they can't actually do it all themselves. This idea comes about because people are not aware of the fact that litter does not just happen."

What role can volunteering play for people with busy lives?

"To be happy, a lot of factors are important, earning enough money, being able to form a nice family, etc. It is important that people who have to deal with social pressure also take good care of themselves. Make sure there is peace, health and pleasure in their lives."

"This also includes that they start to care about what is going on outside their family. And that they become aware of what is going on socially."

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