Our Mission

The mission of aFewSteps.org is to raise awareness of energy use in the four communities of Nether Providence, Rose Valley, Rutledge, and Swarthmore and to provide our residents, schools, businesses, and governments with the know-how to save money and reduce greenhouse gases.  The original goal was to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 20% by the year 2020.

Well it's 2022 and we've exceeded our goal!

Our Story
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In 2009 and 2010, the four communities of Nether Providence, Rose Valley, Rutledge and Swarthmore collaborated with Temple University’s Center for Sustainable Communities to prepare a Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory and a Climate Change Action Plan.  The project was initiated as part of a 2009 grant provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection to the four municipalities.

In early 2022, we received the latest round of data from the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC), which collects information on a wide variety of subjects throughout the region.  This comprehensive analysis is based on measurements conducted during 2015.  We then compared those numbers to those obtained in our original report.

To summarize, total emissions decreased by 27.8% from 2005 to 2015, exceeding our original goal in both amount and time.  While we at A Few Steps would love to take the credit, there were in fact many factors.   One of the largest was transportation, which accounts for about 40% of emissions overall; a decrease in vehicular traffic, coupled with improvements in fuel economy, resulted in a 41% decrease in CO2 emissions in that sector.

Another important factor was residents’ improvements in weatherization and energy efficiency.  Your efforts matter.  In Swarthmore, major investments on the part of the college helped drive total reductions in the borough of 31.4%, the best of the four communities, though all did well, with Rutledge at 28.4%, Nether Providence close behind at 25.9%, and Rose Valley at 24.6%.  On a per-capita basis, all achieved better than 25% reductions.

Reaching our 2020 goal is great news, but we must continue to decrease our emissions.  As we move into what we hope will be a new consensus on climate action, we must press forward with efforts to decarbonize our energy grid, to electrify transportation, and to move toward a fully sustainable economy.
Want to know more about our Greenhouse Gas Study?
Part I, the Greenhouse Gas Inventory, is available here.
Part II, the Climate Change Action Plan, is here
A Few Steps Foundation, d/b/a/ aFewSteps.org, is a 501(c)(3) corporation providing services free of charge to all residents, businesses, institutions and government entities within our four communities.  While we are primarily a volunteer organization, we do have expenses which are funded by donations and grants.  If you would like to support our work, click the Donate button below to make a tax-deductible contribution via PayPal.
Our Team
​Phil Coleman, President
Chair, Commercial - Municipal - Institutional Team
Swarthmore
[email protected]

Thurm Brendlinger
Chair, Policy Team
Swarthmore
David Director, Treasurer
Chair, Technical Team
Nether Providence
[email protected]

​Reisa Mukamal
Swarthmore
Susan O'Donnell, Secretary
Chair, Residential Team
Swarthmore
[email protected]