Ground breaking for ZooShare: North America’s first zoo-biogas plant

Ground breaking for ZooShare: North America’s first zoo-biogas plant

Thursday April 21, 2016

On Tuesday, April 19, Bullfrog Power joined our community partner ZooShare for the ground breaking of the ZooShare biogas plant, located just across the road from The Toronto Zoo.

The event attracted a lot of attention from media, with coverage of the ground breaking appearing on CityNews, Global News and InsideToronto.

During the event, those in attendance heard speakers that included Bullfrog Power’s CEO, Ron Seftel, as well as Ontario’s Minister of Energy, Bob Chiarelli, and the Chair of the Toronto Zoo board, Councilor Raymond Cho.

Bullfrog Power has been a long time supporter of ZooShare’s project. And, as the project’s official Education Sponsor, Bullfrog Power has helped fund educational outreach programs such as a workshop for Grade 7 students that teach children about the science behind the biogas project.

When completed, the project will recycle manure from the Toronto Zoo and food waste from local grocery stores into renewable power.

Here are a couple of photos from the event:

© ZooShare/Rob Elliot 2016.
Ron Seftel, CEO of Bullfrog Power (ZooShare’s Education Sponsor) said “We really believe it’s the way of the future.”  © ZooShare/Rob Elliot 2016.

 

© ZooShare/Rob Elliot 2016.
From left to right: John Tracogna (CEO of The Toronto Zoo), Councillor Raymond Cho (Toronto Zoo Board Chair), Ron Seftel (CEO of Bullfrog Power), Minister of Energy Bob Chiarelli, Paul Ungerman (ZooShare Board Chair), Daniel Bida (ZooShare ED) and Toronto Zoo Board members Paul Doyle and Councillor Paul Ainslie. © ZooShare/Rob Elliot 2016.

 

© ZooShare/Rob Elliot 2016.
ZooShare members, family and friends, gather around a pile of what will soon be one of the ZooShare biogas plant’s by-products: a high nutrient fertilizer created from zoo poo. © ZooShare/Rob Elliot 2016.

 

© ZooShare/Rob Elliot 2016.
ZooShare’s Executive Director Daniel Bida and ZooShare’s Sales and Marketing Manager Frances Darwin, dig in. © ZooShare/Rob Elliot 2016.

 

Want to learn more about Bullfrog Power’s community projects? Check out our interactive map of the renewable energy projects we’re supporting from coast to coast!