MEC Goes All-In on Renewable Energy for All of Its Facilities

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwired - March 1, 2016) - Today Bullfrog Power®, Canada's leading green energy provider, and MEC, Canada's leading outdoor retailer, are announcing a significant expansion of their environmental partnership. MEC is committing to a 100 per cent renewably powered future by choosing both green electricity and green natural gas for all of its current and future facilities, which presently includes 17 stores, its Head Office and Distribution Centre.

"Green electricity and green natural gas are environmental products that offer a proven means for MEC to reduce its carbon footprint," said MEC Chief Retail Operations Officer Gary Faryon. "The emissions associated with powering and heating our buildings comprises a large slice of MEC's overall footprint - a slice that is now smaller as we extend our renewable energy partnership with Bullfrog Power to cover all our facilities."

Through the agreement, Bullfrog Power's generators put 100 per cent clean, pollution-free electricity onto the grid to match the amount of conventional power that MEC's stores, warehouse and offices use. Across Canada, Bullfrog Power's green electricity comes from a blend of wind and low-impact hydro power sourced from new Canadian renewable energy facilities.

Bullfrog Power's producers also inject green natural gas onto the national pipeline to match the amount of conventional natural gas MEC's bullfrogpowered facilities use. Sourced from a unique, ground-breaking methane-capture project situated on one of Canada's landfills, Bullfrog's green natural gas is a climate-friendly alternative to conventional, polluting natural gas. Through innovative technology, biogas is captured, cleaned up, and injected onto the national natural gas pipeline, displacing fossil fuel-based gas and reducing CO₂ emissions into the atmosphere.

"We congratulate MEC on this important move to support green energy, which strengthens its leadership position on the environment," says Ron Seftel, Chief Executive Officer. "Providing Canadians with great products that help them to enjoy our nation's natural surroundings, MEC walks the walk by operating their business in a way that helps lessen the impact they have on the environment. We applaud their environmental leadership and hope that more Canadian businesses and individuals follow suit."

Next to shipping and distributing product, powering and heating its facilities forms the second largest portion of MEC's carbon footprint. The new agreement effectively deepens MEC's renewable energy partnership with Bullfrog Power. MEC has been choosing Bullfrog Power's green electricity for select MEC facilities since 2009. In that time, more than 11,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions - or the equivalent of removing 2,400 cars from the road for a year - have been displaced. By expanding its green energy commitment to all MEC facilities, those numbers will continue to grow.

About Bullfrog Power

Bullfrog Power, Canada's leading green energy provider, offers renewable energy solutions that enable individuals and businesses to reduce their environmental impact, support the development of green energy projects in Canada and help create a cleaner, healthier world. As a Certified B Corporation, Bullfrog Power meets higher standards of social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability. Thousands of individuals and businesses in Canada are doing their part to address climate change and air pollution by choosing green energy with Bullfrog Power. Sign up easily, quickly and affordably at bullfrogpower.com.

Join the bullfrogpowered community online on Facebook (facebook.com/BullfrogPower), Instagram (@bullfrogpower) and Twitter (@bullfrogpower).

About MEC

Canada's leading outdoor retailer, MEC (Mountain Equipment Co-op) is passionate about inspiring and enabling everyone to lead active outdoor lifestyles. From city streets and yoga studios to backcountry trails and pristine waterways, MEC matches people with the expertise, experience, enthusiasm and gear they need for camping, snowsports, watersports, cycling, climbing, hiking, running, yoga and fitness. Through our commitment to 1% for the Planet, every year member purchases allow us to donate one percent of sales ($3.4 million in 2015) to Canadian non-profit organizations that help conserve ecologically and recreationally important areas. MEC has more than 4 million members across Canada. Become part of MEC with a $5 lifetime membership and visit us at our 18 stores, at www.mec.ca and our Shop MEC iPhone® app.