Ever hear of a dump-bustin’dynamic duo with super human powers? You won't find it in the movies, but Allegheny CleanWays has it in Eli Thomas and Chad Stewart.
Eli and Chad started volunteering with Allegheny CleanWays in the fall of 2013 through our DumpBusters program. DumpBusters is a small crew of trained volunteers and staff who specialize in removing the most severe illegal dumpsites, often on challenging slopes. Eli and Chad were the motivating force behind the removal of 2,755 tires from the deep Edgebrook Avenue ravine - probably the largest and oldest tire dump in Pittsburgh. Eli, who lives on Edgebrook Avenue, recruited his friend, Chad, a former resident of Beechview, to work on the site with him. Almost every Saturday morning in the winter of 2013-2014, Chad and Eli could be found down in the ravine chopping tires out of the ice, moving tires up slopes that are difficult to navigate even without tires, and merrily creating tire stacks that weighed in the thousands of pounds. In the process, they and other volunteers moved thousands of tires that were extremely overweight because of size or embedded ice and mud and developed exceptional skill in the clearing of challenging debris from difficult terrain.
Eli and Chad were leaders on our DumpBusters crew - always faithful, always hard-working, never taking any breaks, and working to involve the community in the cleanup. They helped and mentored other volunteers, when needed, and generally went above and beyond the work of the average volunteer.
Chad Stewart is a former Beechview resident who moved to Sewickley last year. He grew up in Franklin, PA, north of Pittsburgh. Chad earned a B.S. degree in Business Administration from Edinboro University. He works as an account manager, and likes to hike, bike, kayak, and watch cartoons.
Eli Thomas and Elissa Thomas moved to Brookline six years ago. They chose a home on Edgebrook Ave because of its access to nature and open land. Eli became concerned about the dumping along Edgebrook Ave and in the ravine and determined to do something about it. Eli graduated from Edinboro University with a degree in environmental science. He is currently employed by Allegheny County as a Systems Engineer - GIS.
Both Eli and Chad have stuck with DumpBusters after tire work at the ravine was completed. They have helped on removing many other dump sites across the city, and continue to devote Saturdays to DumpBuster work.
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