By Andrea Gregory

The city plans to run a little differently from here on out. City officials made the call to turn to green energy. The biggest call to date was to turn the city onto wind energy.

City officials have been making inroads toward turning Somerville a more environmentally friendly city. The city bought 481,928 kilowatt hours of renewable energy from Sterling Planet. The new agreement means City Hall will run on wind-generated electricity and is expected to take care of providing electricity to City Hall for the next year. The reduction in harmful toxins released into the environment is expected to decrease about what it would if 66 less vehicles were on city roads, according to government officials.

In a prepared statement, Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone referred to the recent deal as “a down payment on Somerville’s renewable energy future.”

Environmental Programs Manager Peter Mills said many of the efforts the city is making are expected to save money in the long run, although there are upfront costs attached to the initiatives.

“There are definitely upfront costs,” he said. “All of these things pay off in time. We think the paybacks are going to improve as time goes out.”

The wind energy is costing the city an extra $4,000 per year than the city would normally pay for energy, but is “a strong statement by the city,” said Mills.

The environment is not a new issue. However, several municipalities, businesses and individuals are reexamining their energy use and its impact on the planet.

Also in Somerville, officials are looking at more eco-friendly options for city vehicles. The Somerville Fire Department is the first to replace four of its vehicles with hybrids, but other departments and city workers could be driving similar types of vehicles in the future, said Mills.

The city plans to spend just under $89,000 for the new hybrids to be used by the Fire Prevention Department. Historically, Fire Prevention has inherited its vehicles from the police department.

Mills said efforts to go green really started with last year’s budget. He said all of the city operations looked at their energy use and cost. A strategic plan to move away from unnecessary energy use and harm to the environment was created. He said other communities have also been creating plans to improve their environmental impact.

Somerville schools are also onboard with the citywide plan. Solar panels will go into the high school, offsetting the use of standard power. And the swimming pool at the Kennedy School will soon be heated via solar panels as well.

Mills said it will take 20 to 25 years for the solar panels to start paying off, but the benefits go beyond just an anticipated payoff.

Superintendent of Schools Tony Pierantozzi said the addition of solar energy will double as an education tool for the schools. He said it is just one of the ways the school department is combining energy saving measures with educational tools.

Pierantozzi said these lessons are aimed at creating understandings of science and the impact behaviors and actions can have on the world.

“To understand the positive impact of alternative energy is important. Of course, all of this is a good science lesson as well,” said Pierantozzi.

Board of Aldermen Chairman Robert Trane said he is excited to see to city finding so many ways to turn green. In January, Trane took over the role of chairman. In his first public speech as head of the board, he addressed environmental concerns and actions the city should take. He created a subcommittee dedicated to the issue.