Editorial in The Observer (Canada)

Sir: As Bullfrog Power customers, my family attended the ribbon cutting ceremony for the two newest wind turbines in Ravenswood (outside of Forest). These turbines were built to meet the electricity demands of Bullfrog’s growing customer list. To us the turbines are icons of a hopeful future.

Bullfrog is a Toronto-based, Ontario Energy Board certified electricity vendor. Its mission is “to provide practical energy choices that enable people to create a sustainable world for future generations.” Bullfrog sells 100 per cent carbon free, clean electricity generated from wind and low impact hydro sources that have met or exceeded our federal government’s EcoLogoM standard for renewable power.

Bullfrog is partnered with WWF Canada further assurance that these windmills are situated so as to pose a minimal risk to wildlife. Bullfrog’s hydro sites must also meet a range of environmental criteria including the protection of indigenous species and local habitat; measures are also put in place to minimize fish mortality and preserve fish migration patterns.

Bullfrog sells its electricity residentially and commercially (i.e. Cadbury’s, Wal-Mart, RBC Financial, eBAY.ca, Cotton Ginny, etc.). Making the switch requires no special wiring, equipment or house calls. When you transfer your service, you continue to draw power from Ontario’s grid with no limitations or differences in reliability. Bullfrog simply injects green power into the grid to match your home’s usage, thereby displacing polluting sources. Although green electricity may not literally power my home (Bullfrog does not provide point-to-point service), the goal of cleaner Ontario air is achieved in knowing that air is a shared commodity.

Our family purchases Bullfrog electricity for many reasons. We want our environmental conscience to match our consumer spending. We believe that climate change is a social justice issue our world’s poor, living in ecologically vulnerable areas, are predicted to be the hardest hit by climate change. We also believe that showing leadership in this area is important.

Bullfrog is estimated to cost an average family an extra $20 to $30 a month, however our conservation efforts (insulation, reduction in consumption, etc.,) have more than saved us these projected extra costs.

Our family chooses whenever possible to support the local economy (businesses, markets, festivals). Ravenswood’s windmills now allow us to support local, carbon-free electricity generation.

We acknowledge the potential job loss in other parts of Sarnia’s energy sector due to our consumer choices, however raising two children in a community labeled to have the most polluted air in Ontario (recognizing that some pollution is U.S.-sourced) forced us to reflect on the consequences of the livelihood provided by Sarnia’s industrial backbone. If, in the end, our community is unhealthy, have we been sustained?

Hopefully our consumer spending can soon swing back to support more of Sarnia’s energy sector when either government funding allows for the implementation of zero emission technologies or the industries themselves finance the same goal.

Mike Voisey & Colleen Rapaich