The Roamers Trail contacted me and asked if they could share my story..

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It turned out to be a really nice article

Nice article from NH Nieuws about the Dutch Grand Plog

OMG.. front cover of the local paper and a huge spread inside!

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The journalist asked if i could do an interview. I was expecting 300 words, not a front page photo and huge write up!

Wow.. so many articles from my Rotterdam Marathon adventure (this is just one of them, but best to google 'blikjesman rotterdam marathon' for others)

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I don't think they completely understood the reason.. but loved the comment about me going to the supermarket at the end haha

Le Champion organise Egmond, and have a members magazine. It was so nice to be interviewed for it.

OMG.. I have had a few interviews on the Radio.. mainly around the canuary dress and egmond, but also in more general interviews.

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Not all I could get soundbites from.

It is kinda cool that I am on the radio a few times. My confidence in speaking Dutch on the radio is getting better.

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But clearly people think I have the face for radio! hahaha

It was so great to see more and more media attention for the Plogging World Championships.. this is an Italian article

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They loved the banana suit!

If you scroll to the bottom of this page you will see that one of the first interviews I had was with NHNieuws. and they remain a wonderful supporter of what i do

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In this (Dutch) article they talk about the banana suit and my dream to become a world champion in this activity/sport

IKEA contacted me if they could tell my story as part of their Daily Rituals series

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They look at individuals and the rituals they have for mental and physical health.

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So so sooooooo thrilled to have IKEA tell my story in such a wonderful way (the story was so important to them)

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Each IKEA country can choose what they do with it, so I would suggest.. google "IKEA plogging" and see what comes up

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the link goes to the IKEA Canada youtube page

OH MY G....

National TV!

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A long term dream is to be on national TV.. and this is when it happened

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A short 3min segment where i speak in my own version of Dutch! hahaha

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So thrilled to be given a chance to talk on a larger platform

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The whole series is such a cool idea

I keep promising to review cleanup apps or comment on them, but the truth is that while i think they are super important and helpful.. for me they a just too time consuming to use combined with my running, marathon training and social media.

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The CSFN is different though.. it only takes me a few seconds to upload and record the number of bags i have collected.

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This article is a short bio about me

I have been using the Helemaal Groen app for a couple of years now in tracking plogging distance.. and i tend to run a lot so they wanted to celebrate that I am so active.

They sent this story to Rodi 

Really nice to get some local coverage of my efforts and of course to be recognised in my efforts on the helemaal groen app 

NH Nieuws reach out to me for an article about my plogging in a series called Pioneers

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This is a series where they tell the stories of inspirational people in North Holland who try to find creative solutions for problems.

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It is so cool that they thought I fit this profile

My third podcast. 

OMG.. over an hour! hahaha

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It was with Brooks teamie Emmeke and her partner Gilles.

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Such a wonderful experience.. they are so dear to my heart.

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I talked about loads.. including icebergs, giraffes, jelly and birthmarks

Another cool DM that lead to an interview.

This was with Impaktor.

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It is really fun getting all the different questions from interviewers. Each one has their own interests and slant on the content. Here I could talk a bit more about my other eco passions that I am growing.

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While I might admit to being a very experienced plogger, in other areas I am just a very average person trying to make small impacts that add up

Plastic Soup Foundation tagged along as three of us went DiscoPlogging!

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So cool to see so many people around the Netherlands so actively involved in the World Cleanup Day this year.

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This was the first official launch of DiscoPlogging so great to see they got our dance moves into the aftermovie! hahaha

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For World Oceans Day, Mama Gaia (a plant-based restaurant in Haarlem) hosted 9 incredible guests to talk about issues and solutions at a global, national and local level

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It is so cool to see and hear how they interconnect 

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Oh my.. this is such a moment of joy for me.

I am able to tell my plogging story in a 6 page spread in Runners World magazine (May 2021, NL edition)

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The magazine is so special to me as it was in 2019 as a result of being in their Dream Team that I made the decision to pick up trash on each and every run.

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Ramiro wrote the piece and captured my nederlish (not Dutch and not English) language perfectly

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He titled the piece Creatief Tegengif (creative antidote) and that is a perfect title. I try and be positive, creative and energetic to encourage positive change on social media, but during the pandemic it has been the saving light of joy that helps me personally battle the mental trauma this situation has caused.

SUPmission held their first clean-up paddleboard event of 2021, and I tagged along. It is a great event if you are in Haarlem (first Friday of the month).

More info here: .supmission.org

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Although this time I didn't go in the water and paddleboard, I did plog along the bankside and got quite a lot collected.

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Haarlem.Nieuws.NL were there and I had a chat with them at the start (in Dutch!)

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To kick off the first event, SUPmission invited a few of us Haarlem trashwarriors and non-profit organisations to join in, and the link will take you to all the interviews from the meetup. Cool!

OMG.. I am on the BBC News website!

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Ok ok ok ok.. it isn't an article on me but rather they accepted my photo for the photo challenge called "My hobbies"

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But I was so thrilled for it to be accepted and included.

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It also gives me a chance to say.. while technically I do have two hobbies (running and plogging) I would rather just have the running one!

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You might recognise the photo from my website homepage.. I love that photo. Just like all the photos you see on my Instagram page.. it is actually a selfie!

I love the Burgess family behind Just1Bag2020 .. They originally wanted to get 2020 bags of trash collected by people using the hashtag #just1bag2020. 

But it grew and grew.. their goal is now 20000 bags (achieved) from 2020 people (currently on 1500 - so join in if you can!)

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For the Q&A they asked me a few questions and put it on their site.. they had some fun questions!! So thrilled to be highlighted amongst 1500 incredible people!

As a result of the RTL Nieuws article, a couple of people contacted me for an interview. 

This one filled me with joy.. a student studying at journalistiekwindesheim asked for me to explain what I do and why.

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I loved the article.

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Now, Daphne.. get famous so that I can tell my grandkids about the time you interviewed me!

I was really thrilled to be interviewed for NPO Radio 1 to talk about the increasing number of masks I find. 

I was put forward by Supporter van Schoon - they have seen how many I pick up at the moment.  Together with the Plastic Soup Foundation, they have started a new campaign to draw attention to the problem. Masks are so important in protecting us in 2020, but we need to switch to reusable masks to avoid the future plastic pollution problem I am finding on our streets.

The campaign uses the hashtag #mondkapjegeenzwerfkapje

The interview aired on the Stax&Toine program 20/10/20 @15:24:22 .. but I have a recording at the bottom of this page (click on the View More button)

Dopper is a fantastic Dutch reuseable water bottle company, with a mission to end single use water bottles.

They want people to take a simple pledge to that effect and created this beautiful film about it.

They asked for people to tell their connected stories and I was one of the lucky ones chosen and am alongside some truly wonderful people.

http://dopper.com/sign-the-pledge

My first podcast!

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I met Stephen as part of a group of people starting up a Parkrun in Haarlem (more news on that to follow)

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Such a great person and so thrilled to be invited to blab on about myself (which I love to do hahaha.. but this website probably gives you that clue too haha)

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Give it a listen

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It was recorded at the start of the lockdown

Mari Durieux is a star amongst the Dutch running scene.

He was part of the group of team leaders for the Eindhoven Plogging Run.

He did this brilliant article (in Dutch) on the experience

There are not enough bald people in this world! hahah

In the Moment (Oct 2019)

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In the Moment Magazine published a lovely article on plogging in their Oct 2019 edition.

The article written by Abigail Whyte talks about the basics of plogging and her experience trying it out.

She was kind enough to include some plogging tips and tricks I gave her during a Skype call. I didn't know anything about the magazine beforehand, but it is a lovely find.

Unfortunately I lost the audio on the clip in the link. Damnit. A really nice peice from ViaPlay about the Dutch Grand Plog

HAHA.. I got reviewed by a TV critic for the episode of Zin in Morgen

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It is a pretty cool review - I am glad they picked up on my excitement

I am officially a cover model!

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For the sustainability edition, Runner's world (NL) shared the story of three ploggers

Wow.. so many articles from my Rotterdam Marathon adventure (this is just one of them, but best to google 'blikjesman rotterdam marathon' for others)

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The timing of this one was perfect.. a couple of days later, I was on the front cover of this magazine.

The local council in Bloomendaal reached out to me.. they had had the elections for the children's representative (kinderburgermeester) and there was a tie!

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They asked me to create the mayor's chain of office from trash i had picked up

Prime time kids TV. 

Klaas Kan Alles is an extremely popular kids program - each week Klaas has a new challenge and an expert to help

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In this episode, Klaas goes plogging with help from me!

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Soooo much fun.. and it was so cool seeing how enthusiastic Klaas was.. no holding back!

Follow-up report with NH nieuws on the Plogging World Championships.

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They loved the fact that i referred to it as 'a bad day at the office' :-)

Wow.. this is such a special one.. I love to run in the beautiful surroundings we have here.. the nature reserve is magical. 

This article is in the natuurmonumenten.nl  subscriber's magazine

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It connects with why i run and how important it is when i pick up a piece of trash in the countryside

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If you know me, then you will know how thrilled I am to represent this brand in my own small way.

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It is one of the oldest connections i have to a brand.

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And they now have a podcast and invited me to be their first guest!

OMG.. in De Telegraaf!

National newspaper

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So cool...

And even had my photo on the front page of the supplement
(that is soooo cool as it is actually a selfie i took on holiday!)

I first met the green editorial at a beach clean up a couple of years ago. They are really passionate about finding the stories behind the 'green story' to give it a new perspective.

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The article is in Dutch - hope you like it

Oh gosh.. I didn't choose that title! hahah

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But I do love that Iron Roots did this story about me.

I have been an Iron Roots ambassador for a while now and love what they stand for (plastic free athletic gear and slow fashion)

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Earthday.org invited me and a few very cool guests to chat in a Q&A session about who we are, what we do and how we can keep the momentum going after World Cleanup Day

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So cool to be invited on live streams like this and speak alongside some incredible guests!

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When you watch... don't worry, I join the group 3mins in.. about two seconds before we went live my computer crashed and I had to improvise! hahaha

I was already being supported by House of Marley (NL), but when they said.. do you wanna appear in some promotional items about our sustainability and materials? - well, I ran to the photoshoot! hahah

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(actually.. I plogged)

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Love it.

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In the video is REAL trash I picked up on the way to the shoot

And the text is all my own.

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Withings have always been a health tech company I have been interested in (from their first WiFi scales/app - I think they are the O.G. in this sector? Certainly feels like it)

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So, when they contacted me to see if I wanted to help enrich their blog article on plogging with my own experiences, I jumped at the chance.​

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So glad I did.. they added my passion to their science and knowledge. I love this article!

Wow.. love this photo! (by Sanne Donders)

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So cool to have a full page spread in the AD.nl weekend magazine.

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The whole experience was fantastic. And they even published on World Clean Up day!

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I don't have a link to a PDF, but the link will take you to a photo of it.

Back in the film studio again with Dopper (I love love LOVE this brand and their mission)

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This campaign they are launching is looking into the real effect of the EU's commitments to reduce Single-Use Plastic Waste

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The net effect? 7%. That isn't enough

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We need to do better.

We CAN do better.

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Taking action is a simple as sign up to their wave (dopper.com/join-our-wave)

This is just a simple pledge from you that you will use tap water where you can. 

On the day that this happened: a good deed (which is for me a defining moment in my plogging activities), I got a call from NH Nieuws

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Me: "Ooh, that is so cool, you want to know about the security box I found and returned to a 92yr old!"

NHNieuws: "Err.. what security box? We are calling about the GoFund page"

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And so they combined both stories.

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I am so proud I could help the 92yr old after a traumatic event and felt a way to 'deserve' the GoFund page that was set up. I know.. I am bit of a complex person

The local Haarlem glossy magazine is doing a series of features on locals who are trying to make an impact on the environment and keep it litter-free.

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This month (edition 73), they featured me and Bin185 (my partner in crime).

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Such a cool article series that is really shinning a light on a lot of wonderful people (myself excluded of course; I'm just a grumpy old man)

I got interviewed for hardlopen.nl by Bert Pessink!

Bert is the voice that many dutch runners will recognise at the finish line of so many races in NL. So this was quite a thrill.

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I got a bit nerdy during our call - I love (absolutely love) talking about plogging, but my passion remains running. So the chance to geek out of running is a thrill. bert did a great job of filtering that out hahaha

Not so much an interview, but Iron Roots asked me to do a short article on plogging for their website.

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Iron Roots are one of the wonderful companies that help me in my endeavours. See here. 

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Hopefully, you will find the article both interesting and informative. Let me know!

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I got contacted by D66 (Dutch political party) to talk about plogging and what I think about Haarlem.

What I really loved is that they were really open to say that I am not a D66 voter at present; to be honest I have yet really to decide (I only became eligible to vote here last year). 

The article is in Dutch

It is so nice to have this opportunity to explain plogging and my story on this platform, and to talk a bit about Haarlem - the place that has been my home for over 18 years.

An awesome article in the local media hub In De Buurt. 

In it, I talk about my experiences with using the nnrunning app to run a virtual half marathon. It was so much fun!

But whenever anyone wants to talk to me, I find a way to get plogging in there heehee.

The article is in Dutch.

I am always so thrilled when anyone wants to listen to my plogging stories :-)

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OMG. I felt like a movie star for the day and then they gave me this.

Dopper wanted to show the story behind the people in their campaign, and so they made this about me (their YouTube site shows the others too).

This very short film is film really beautifully and tells my story.

Just while I was out plogging one day a wonderful journalist from the local paper spotted me.

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We got talking and she did this awesome article in the paper about plogging etc..

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The article isn't online but was from 1st Feb 2020

The plogging run organised by Eindhoven Marathon in collab with Renewi was a real highlight as part of the RW Dream Team for me.

What a fantastic day. And 213 kg of trash taken off the streets.

I would love to see more races take this initiative soon

They used one of my GoPro films on their site :-)

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A huge thank you to all the organisers.

Shortly after the NH Niewuws article on my koningsdag plog (Kings Day Plog), I was asked for a longer interview. Tim and I had a load of fun doing this!

This is when I first started saying that the beauty of plogging is that everyone can do it. It doesn't take a new law to be passed or funding from government. You just bend down and pick it up, making an immediate impact.

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I learnt an important lesson.. when being interviewed, don't stand next to someone who looks like Thor.. otherwise you end up looking like a little old wizard haha

Lovely interview from local Zandvoort news channel about what I was doing for the Dutch Grand Plog

TV Spot! A TV program called Zin in Morgen (excited about tomorrow) tells stories about what people do to enjoy and savour life.. for me it is of course about plogging

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in the episode I am around 11:50 into the program.

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So cool to share my story on national TV

Statiegeld Nederland reached out to me and together we did a bit of promotion for the deposit system.. this was shown on tiktok, insta etc.. the link here will take you to their LinkedIn page

Wow.. so many articles from my Rotterdam Marathon adventure (this is just one of them, but best to google 'blikjesman rotterdam marathon' for others)

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I love the title of this one haha

II got some really lovely attention from local news agency Haarlem 105.

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This was the latest one, but if you search for my name, there are a few others

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It is worth watching the film in the link, just for the roofer who shouted out at me haha

On our monthly cleanup around Haarlem (PlogX), John Collingham found a pipe bomb near the train station!

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Of all the things we find, this was scary

I always get nervous on the Dutch radio - I worry that people can't understand me and don't listen to the story itself.

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But I am actually pretty chuffed with this one.. I think i can across much better than othertimes and felt I was able to get my passion across for my plogging

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The interview was on 18/09 at 7:20 (so 2nd hour, 20mins in)

Oh gosh... possibly one of the most fun interviews I have had.

We had a blast chatting

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Hopefully people see that coming through in the article.

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I will be honest and say it is the first time I have read the magazine, and it is a GREAT running magazine.. love it!

A collab with Saint Basics.

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I am so thrilled to connect with Saint Basics. The (gifted) underwear isn't just great (I can put my hand on my heart and say it  is the best underwear I have ever had - and i have been wearing underwear on a daily basis for more than 50 years!).. it is also sustainable (tencel).. and more importantly - the company is about more than just sustainability; it is also incredibly ethical.

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This is their blog talking about me from their perspective.

I am a RoadID ambassador.. and super proud to be one. It is a bracelet that holds my emergency details on it, in case of an emergency.

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I have it on my wrist 24x7 and have done so for 10 years.

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So thrilled they shared my story with their community

When I ran the legendary Egmond Half Marathon (including a beach section) twice.. picking up trash on the second loop and doing it all in a banana suit, I knew it was a great adventure to be proud of.

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Bert and Hardlopen.nl have let me tell the story about it and what I discovered.

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Bert was the MC/motivator with the mic at the finish line.. he saw me and asked if I was picking up trash. I told him.. I am about to go and run it again and I will be picking up trash the whole time! hahah 

National newspaper! yay!

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the highlight though was first hearing that it was published from my neighbour! 

They sent a message around to the neighbourhood whatsapp group and said "Hey, Paul.. I just read about you in the paper!"

A friend contacted me to say "hey, Jeremy Vine is talking about plogging on his radio programme. You should contact them."

So I did and they called straight back!

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OMG - I spoke to Jeremy Vine today on BBC Radio!!!!!!

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Soooooo cool. I even got my dad to listen in!

Short article for Breathe Magazine

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Details to follow

It is understandable that any media attention I get is with my plogging. 

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So when I get a chance to tell my story around veganism I am a very happy bunny

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I don't profess to be the best or most educated vegan out there but I am trying to be one bit by bit.

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In this interview I talk about a lot of my demons. Demons that a large amount of the population can relate to I suspect.

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They have helped form who I am but are things that I struggle with daily. The biggest demon I have is myself and it has taken decades to tame it.

In the lead up to World Clean-Up Day, Plastic Soup Foundation published a story about me on their website.

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I love getting asked to do things like this.. especially to see how my views change over the years.

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Often the reasons I plog will change, and the motivation to do it is continually changing.

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Really nice article in the local free weekly paper (Haarlems Weekblad)

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I was nominated by natuurlijkmetsteef.nl 

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So cool to reach another paper in my local area. It will be interesting to see if this reaches a new audience and more people to bring awareness and attention to the litter problem here in Haarlem.

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The whole interview was so lovely.

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It is also fun to start announcing the 100km plog plans to the bigger world.

This is a strange thing to put here, but it deserves a place because of the amazing thing Daan (plogsack) and Steef (natuurlijksteef) have done.
A couple of days after my birthday, our shed caught fire. We lost decades of memories and for me personally, two bikes I loved and used to plog, to commute and to get to events (they weren't some I just used for sport)

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I will let Daan and Steef tell the story further, with one extra comment - I want to celebrate everyone's kindness by putting the names of the donators on the frame. A true celebration

The olympics are a hugely important event for me. Seeing such incredible performances by sportspeople is inspiring. 

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I believe in one world, but firmly believe events like this help that view, when done right.

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Doing right through sport was Olympic gold medalist Hannah Mill's vision when she founded Big Plastic Pledge.

It is all about making a better and cleaner environment by sportspeople, through sports.

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That is such a perfect alignment to my own views, so to have an article on their site is so wonderful.

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OMG, I was in a round up of the year!

Seriously, that is so weird!!.

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To think that the local round up of news for 2020 includes by Dutch Mountain Marathon. So thrilled.

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Now, the bar is set for 2021! hahah

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What is cool is that while I did collect trash on the DMM, the focus was on running. Where my real passion and love lies.

Blimey! That all happened so quickly!

I got contacted by RTL Nieuws in NL to see if I wanted to talk about the number of masks I plog. It was especially relevant as masks are becoming law today (1st Dec) in closed spaces. 

It was such a wonderful experience, and so great for this subject to get airtime at a national level.

OMG, can I say "as seen on TV" now?!!

And they covered in in three places

1. Instagram (click here)

2. Website (click here)

3. TV (click here) - uitzending gemist starts at 3:45 - not sure how long this link remains active

Thank you RTL Nieuws for covering this topic! 

NuOceans are a great startup company that want to make flipflops from recycled waste (fishing nets, old flipflops etc). And even better; they are looking at doing a cyclic scheme so that you can send the old one back and upgrade to a new one. Cool!

In this podcast, they let me ramble on about myself like I always do! Enjoy!

This is my second podcast. Not sure if I am getting better at them or not, but I certainly love doing them!

RunX in Haarlem is my favourite running shop.

How much do I love it?

Every time I have gone into town this year (not a lot due to COVID) I have always stopped by at least to just say "Hi!". 

So I was thrilled to be asked to try out the Brooks Ghost 13 and write a review about it (I had never run in it before!)

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This was completely unexpected. NH Nieuws spotted my crazy Dutch Mountain Marathon attempt on Strava (I ran up a small hill 42times/44km) and they made an article from it on their website.. I got to appear on their sports section! hahaha.. crazy

They did their usual brilliant twist on my craziness hahaha

They used my GoPro footage.

I observed all social distancing recommendations.

Runner's World (NL) have a series called Estafette Vlog on the YT channel. 

They asked me along to give an insight into a normal Sunday

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It is worth watching just to hear my awful Dutch! hahaha

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So thrilled to have a continued connection with this wonderful group of people.

OMG.. I got selected to be part of the Runner's World (NL) dream team for 2019. Four of us were chosen to train with Rob Veer for the Eindhoven Marathon.

What a journey!.. I did photo shoots with Bibi Veth, and appeared in 6 of their editions (I bought thousands of copies hahaha)

But best of all.. I found friends for life.

A truly blessed experience.

This was so cool.. I was just doing a regular plog when I was spotted by an NH Nieuws reporter, who did this spontaneous film/interview.

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Well, I say regular plog, but it was koningsdag (Kings Day) so everyone dresses up in orange.

I love the film style it has a ManBijtHond / LittleBritain feel! haha