Vanessa
Rule, of Go Green Somerville, one of the organizers of the event,
described the support mechanisms for such businesses. By providing
consulting services focused on maximizing environmental efficiency, she
said, "hopefully we can make the process easy for those businesses who
might worry that they either don't have time or that it will cost too
much."

Two examples of business leaders who have made the
transition are Jennifer Park and Tucker Lewis, co-owners of the Diesel
Café and Bloc 11. With the help of Save that Stuff, a company that
collects organic waste and distributes it for re-use, the two cafés
have effectively reduced their waste as well as the costs associated
with its removal. "It's easy if you're committed to doing it," Park
said. "We said that, regardless of the costs, we were going to do
this." As it turns out, the financial toll of reducing waste was far
from a problem, as Park predicts that they have saved about $5,000 in
the first year alone.

Another Davis Square landmark, Johnny
D's, is an example of how the environmental movement has evolved from a
fringe issue to one that is inherently linked with successful business
practices. Since the venue underwent renovations designed to increase
its energy efficiency, Carla Dilois predicts they've cut about 10% in
related costs.

The sustainable drive has not been led simply
by shrewd business owners and concerned non-profit groups like
Groundwork Somerville, but also by local governance. In a nod to the
importance of green thinking, especially in one of the most densely
populated cities in the country, Mayor Joseph Curtatone created the
Department of Sustainability and the Environment in 2006. In nearly
every facet of urban planning, environmental concerns now come into
play, from the Green Line Extension project to Shape Up Somerville's
program to curtail obesity in the city. Alongside Groundwork
Somerville, a local non-profit environmental organization, the program
has built gardens in nearly every school in the city–a boon to
physical health as well as to storm water runoff prevention. The
Department of Sustainability is slated to receive up to a half a
million dollars in stimulus funding, said Program Manager David Lutes,
though the use of the money is yet to be determined.

As events
such like the B2Green expo show, it is evident that the environment is
not a fleeting concern. "Green is definitely the new thing," said
Jennifer Lawrence, Executive Director of Groundwork Somerville.
"Especially with the city caring so much about sustainability,
Somerville is mirroring a national trend in awareness." For longtime
activists within the community, the rising tide of environmentalism,
which Rule and Lawrence agree coincided with Al Gore's "Inconvenient
Truth" and the spike in oil prices, is a welcome change. "My sense from
talking to people who have been doing this for a long time was that it
used to be very hard to get anyone to listen to you," Rule said. "Now,
people have seen the limits of consumerism."