Green for 15—celebrating 15 years of Bullfrog Power!
In 2005, Bullfrog Power was founded with the goal of transforming the energy landscape in Canada. Before then, Canadians didn’t have many options when it came to their electricity—we provided the first renewable, emissions-free energy choice for individuals and businesses.
In the 15 years since, we’ve expanded our clean energy options to include green natural gas, green fuel, and power purchase agreements (PPAs) for businesses. And now, as part of the Spark Power family of companies, we’re excited to offer more solutions that will help organizations save energy, carbon, and money.
Since our founding, the bullfrogpowered community has avoided more than 1.85 million tonnes of CO2 emissions and helped fund more than 150 community-based renewable energy projects. Most recently, we signed a power purchase agreement to support the construction of one of Canada’s largest solar projects!
As we look back on our history and plan for our future, we spoke with someone who’s been there since the beginning: Scott Ford, our Director of Software Development, local problem-solver, and unofficial fitness instructor.
Bullfrog Power: What was the atmosphere like when Bullfrog was founded?
Scott Ford: There was a strong startup feel, and there were only seven people with Bullfrog at launch. While everyone had their own area of focus, there was also a culture of “all hands on deck” and cross-collaboration between departments, which made it a fun and dynamic place to work. And it definitely felt like the start of something big—giving Canadians a choice to go green with their electricity for the first time.
Bullfrog: We’ve come a long way since then! What milestones or events from the past 15 years stick out to you?
Scott: The Gord Downie performance at our third anniversary was surreal—a Canadian icon like Gord Downie sitting with an acoustic guitar and playing to a small group at the Steam Whistle brewery was an experience I’ll never forget. The other event that stands out is when we went national. Although we had grown by that point, we still felt like a relatively small company. To know that we now offered the choice to go green to all Canadians felt great.
Bullfrog: Other than the rad concerts, what has kept you around for 15 years?
Scott: The opportunity to do something good and make an impact is what initially drew me to Bullfrog, and I continue to love coming to work knowing that what we do is making a difference. But what keeps me here is the people I work with. Bullfrog has a unique ability to attract and inspire some truly amazing people.
Bullfrog: You’re making us blush! How do you think Bullfrog will adapt and grow in the next 15 years?
The renewable landscape is constantly changing and adapting. Gains in efficiency and decreases in cost are making it more and more available, and new technologies and opportunities to reduce and eliminate your carbon footprint mean that we have to be constantly evolving our product. Moving forward, going green isn’t necessarily going to mean paying more—look at power purchase agreements, for example.
Bullfrog: Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Scott! We wouldn’t be where we are today without you.
We’re so proud of what we’ve accomplished together, but we also know that there’s much more work to be done. As we celebrate Bullfrog’s 15th birthday, we couldn’t be happier to have such a strong community of environmental champions working alongside us. Our sincere thanks go out to every bullfrogpowered individual and organization, as well as the many partners who have helped us out along the way!
As part of the celebrations, we’re hosting a virtual paint night with Tiffany Pratt on October 1st. Sign up here for free.
For people who aren’t yet bullfrogpowered, we’re also offering $15 off your first three months of green energy! Use code GREENFOR15, and feel free to share it with friends and family—we all need to work together to build a renewably powered future.