Lauren C. Ostberg Less than 18% of Somerville households recycle. In an effort to improve that statistic, the City of Somerville will launch a single-stream recycling pilot program this summer. Single-stream recycling means that rather than separating paper and cardboard recyclables from the rest, residents can combine their recycling in a single bin. The City will supply closed-container rolling recycling bins, approximately the size of standard garbage cans, to facilitate this process.

"For people who don't use recycling, it makes a big difference," said David Lutes, the Director of Somerville's Office of Sustainability and Environment (OSE), who detailed the program's launch. He added that making recycling as simple as trash disposal pushes many people past "a psychological barrier."

The pilot program will affect 1300-2300 homes, depending on mitigating costs. Most of them are in the average-consumption Ward 5 section of the city. The City will notify participating residents in early April; the program will continue into the late summer or early fall, again, depending on costs.

Lutes, along with Andrea Ranger, of Somerville's Commission on Energy and Climate Change, spoke about this and several other environmental issues, including the disposal of hazardous waste, carbon footprint reduction, solar panels and other alternative energy sources, during Young Somerville's March 17 meeting.

"Appropriately, it was St. Patrick's Day – the greenest of all days," joked Lauren Tulp, who, along with co-chair James Stark, organizes the group's monthly. Young Somerville is a three-year-old organization that aims to connect members of the 21-35 age bracket fostering dialogue on salient policy issues between its 20 members, the City, and Somerville's burgeoning, but transitory, youth population. They accomplish this, in part, by discussing salient issues with relevant city officials.

Ranger drew their attention to the funds that may be available through an Energy Efficiency Community Block Grant. The State mandated that utility companies devote a portion of their gross income to energy-efficient savings per cycle, so there are ample opportunities for green-building, from weatherization to deep energy retrofits, by piggybacking on existing utility programs.

The City has also used two grants from the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative Renewable Energy Trust to install photovoltaic panels (solar panels) on the roof of the Dr. Albert F. Argenziano School and the Capuano Center for Early Education. The Commission on Energy Use and Climate Change is also considering Purchase Power agreements between the City and buildings with a large rooftop surface area, which, through a lease agreement, would bring solar energy to the affected businesses, and increased funds to the City.

The pair emphasized that alternative energy is not a particularly effective solution. Solar panels are expensive, and they cannot supply more than a meager percentage of a building's energy needs. Wind turbines, Lutes added, are difficult to incorporate into Somerville's dense geography and variable wind speed.

While they agree that shopping local, recycling, and using energy-efficient bulbs are positive choices, Ranger and Lutes encouraged Young Somerville to take on the biggest energy-guzzlers.

According to Ranger, 45% of Somerville's carbon footprint comes from residences. She is a relentless advocate of weatherization. "You can't turn off your heat in the winter, but you can insulate your home to keep it in," she said.

Private vehicle use is the other major contributor to energy consumption. After the Green Line Extension is complete, alternative transportation will be available to an overwhelming majority of Somervillians.

"Eighty percent of Somerville residents will live within a half mile of a transit stop," said Lutes, who added that bus stops were not included in this statistic. The City also plans to extend the Community Path all the way into Boston by adding a bike lane alongside the new tracks.

They also urged the Young Somervillians to address some of their environmental concerns by participating in Somerville's Spring Cleanup, currently slated for April 17.