Bullfrog Power: A Hop for Green Energy

With everything we know about pollution and the environment, it’s clear we need to take control. In every major city around the globe, humankind consumes the Earth’s resources to exhaustion. And if we don’t wake up and smell the fumes, it may one day be too late. When it comes to ensuring our survival, the question is: Where do we start? For homeowners and businesses in Ontario, one solution is finally here, and it comes in the shape of a little green amphibian.

Established just four years ago, Bullfrog Power has become a leading provider of 100 per cent green electricity in the province. “We give people the choice to buy from renewable resources like wind and small hydro,” says president and co-founder Tom Heintzman. “It’s a choice for people looking to reduce their negative environmental impact, and help promote renewable power.” With the help of Bullfrog’s EcoLogo-certified generators, the company inserts an equal amount of green energy onto the Ontario power grid that is purchased by its customers.

As more citizens and entrepreneurs are hopping onto the eco-bandwagon, they’re discovering the switchover is simpler than a game of leapfrog. “You can go to our website and switch to our company,” Heintzman says. “It takes about five minutes.” Once that happens, clients can enjoy the benefits of power generated from Bullfrog’s many wind turbines, located throughout the province in areas like the Bruce Peninsula. “The fact that we’re helping the environment by providing this green power makes us feel good,” says Ronni Hannon, Toronto Bloor West Village resident and Bullfrog Power customer. “I’m not sure what there is, in the grand scheme of things, that we can do to save the world. But we figured this is one way we can actually make a difference,” she says.

Bullfrog customers don’t seem to mind paying a premium for green energy – the equivalent to an extra dollar a day. “It’s a little more expensive, but it obviously has environmental and economic benefits,” Heintzman says, who points out that prices will fall as demand and new technologies surface. “Coal-generated electricity is already reducing in the province. We can bring on more renewable power and we can do it faster with the support of citizens who choose to purchase it,” he says. For families like the Hannons who have also stopped using plastic bags in their home, a greener future is worth the investment. “We’re just one little family, but the more people help, the better we can be.”

Working with a variety of environmental groups such as World Wildlife Fund and The Pembina Institute, Bullfrog funds a number of projects to educate the public about green issues. This past March, the company partnered with Vaughan Mills mall, which purchased Bullfrog’s green energy to power the equivalent of every home in Vaughan for Earth Hour – a local contribution in the worldwide initiative to turn off lighting, which saved 15.1 per cent of Toronto’s electricity alone. Bullfrog also launched in British Columbia, the country’s third province to go green after Alberta and Ontario. With a variety of companies signing up, from Walmart to Steam Whistle Brewing, Bullfrog Power is leaping towards a brighter and cleaner future.

www.bullfrogpower.com