A lot of watershed work starts long before a drop of water reaches the stream, in the everyday decisions people make about what they buy, keep, fix, and throw away. A new six-week series in McKeesport takes that idea and turns it into a hands-on classroom, free and open to all ages.
What Eco Scouts is
Eco Scouts is an in-person workshop series from the Pennsylvania Resources Council and Allegheny CleanWays, two of the region’s longest-running sustainability organizations. Over six weekly Thursday sessions, participants work through practical topics with a simple goal: save money, cut waste, and build healthier, cleaner communities. Each session mixes short presentations with hands-on activities, and the whole thing is designed to be welcoming to people of any age or background.
Eco Scouts Series: Mission Agape, McKeesport
The six sessions
| Date | Topic |
|---|---|
| Oct 1 | Orientation. Meet other community members and shape what the group works on. |
| Oct 8 | Zero Waste and Recycling. What really happens to your recycling, and how the systems actually work. |
| Oct 15 | Organize a Community Cleanup. How to run a successful cleanup, with a free cleanup kit while supplies last. |
| Oct 22 | Food Wise. Cutting food waste, saving money at the store, and low-waste cooking. |
| Oct 29 | Waste and Watersheds. How everyday waste reaches local rivers, streams, and creeks, and how better choices protect them. |
| Nov 5 | Repair and Reuse. Fixing what you might otherwise toss, and keeping usable items out of landfills. |
Why we are flagging it
The whole series is worth a look, but the October 29th session, Waste and Watersheds, is the one that lands squarely in our lane. It draws the direct line between what ends up in a trash can or on a curb and what ends up in the creek downhill, which is the same connection every watershed group in our network spends its time trying to make visible. If you have neighbors, board members, or volunteers in the McKeesport area who want to understand that link firsthand, this is a good place to send them.
You do not have to commit to all six weeks. Drop in on the ones that fit, and take the practical parts home with you.
Details from the Pennsylvania Resources Council and Allegheny CleanWays Eco Scouts announcement. Series runs Thursdays, October 1 through November 5, 2026, at Mission: Agape in McKeesport, PA.
