Summer 2010 Editor’s Note

If you’ve ever sat inside the Diesel Cafe (257 Elm St) and wondered why there are several dish bins but no trash receptacles, well – there’s a short answer and a long one.

The short answer is Diesel sorts its waste for composting and recyclables. That’s much easier to do when customer refuse goes right into the shallow dish bins, as opposed to deep dark garbage bags.

The long answer is Diesel is one of many Somerville businesses walking the walk when it comes to sustainability. In fact, according to Go Green Somerville’s case study, the café saves $120 per month in disposal fees because of its savvy (and environmentally friendly) sanitation strategies. You can learn more about Somerville’s greenest businesses – and individuals – in Jason Rabin’s feature (p. 19).

Stand on a Somerville street corner, or stroll past a park, and you’re likely to find statues or signs devoted to veterans of the armed forces. As it happens, roughly 10.3 percent of Somerville’s population consists of veterans, compared to 7.2 percent in Massachusetts and 7.5 percent in the US as a whole.

Many of these veterans marched in the annual Memorial Day parade. One of them – Bob Hardy, Commander of George Dilboy VFW Post 529 (371 Summer St) – allowed us to walk alongside him. For our story on Somerville’s soldiers (p. 30), we also paid a visit to Tony’s Barber Shop (294 Broadway), where an estimated 60 percent of the clientele served in the armed forces, as did proprietor Tony Matarazzo and barber Phil Vozzella.

It’s no secret Somerville has a deep history of military service, including World War I hero George Dilboy and World War II hero Henry O. Hansen. What’s less well known is the way Somerville’s living veterans look out for each other – even when they don’t know each other.

Somerville’s largest stadium (110 Alewife Brook Pwky) bears Dilboy’s name, and it is home to the IWFL’s Boston Militia (bostonmilitia.com), who take a 9-0 mark and championship hopes into their July 10 playoff game against the D.C. Divas. Three months ago, we profiled the Militia in our Spring Issue. This time around, in our “Whatnot” section (p. 14), you’ll find a playoff preview. In addition, you’ll find updates on the Green Line Extension and the renovation of Somerville Hospital (230 Highland Ave).

We’ve also taken a figurative highlighter to our calendar section, spotlighting summer events geared toward the twenty-somethings among us (p. 12). Whether you spend your leisure time listening to music, dissecting graphic novels, soaking in stand-up comedy or eating whoopie pies, Somerville has a summer event for you. Yes, the common perception is that the 30-and-under crowd leaves town at semester’s end. But we know better. –Ilan Mochari