Ripudaman introduced ‘plogging’ – a combination of jogging and picking up litter – to his country in 2016, when he combined the government initiative FIT India with Swachh Bharat (Clean India). The government swiftly appointed him the ‘Plogging Ambassador of India’, and adopted the Litter Free India movement –  more than 10 million Indians have now participated in this citizen-led campaign.

Ripudaman’s commitment goes beyond the occasional cleanup: in 2019, he embarked on an unprecedented 50-day, 50-city campaign, running and cleaning 1000 km across India. Innovative nationwide approaches, like his ‘Trash Workout’ and ‘Plastic Upvaas’, continue to encourage people to dedicate just a few minutes to environmental action every day. After organising over 700 cleanups across more than 110 cities, plogging over 6000 km over the years, and setting a world record for the longest non-stop plogging run, he received recognition from the Prime Minister and numerous environmental organisations.

Ripudaman has also achieved something remarkable: he’s made cleaning up litter the coolest thing to do in India. Stay up to date on Ripudaman’s journey on Instagram and Facebook.