Tribally-Owned Seneca Environmental Makes First-of-Its-Kind Renewable Energy Deal With Pinterest

Seneca Environmental is on a mission to establish equitable, Earth-healing climate solutions. Selling a set of international renewable energy certificates to the social media platform Pinterest is one of the most recent steps in that journey, and it marks the first sale of its kind between a tribally-owned enterprise and a global tech company. 

Owned by the Seneca Nation, the renewable energy development and investment company helps corporations reach their climate goals while helping Native communities build and invest in renewables. Its profits directly support the needs of members of the Seneca Nation in the Western New York region. 

The renewable energy certificates (RECs) Pinterest purchased span 15 countries and will offset energy use in the tech company’s offices as part of its goal to run the buildings on 100 percent renewable energy. Similar to carbon or biodiversity credits, RECs represent the environmental and social benefits of generating renewable electricity — not the energy itself. Once one megawatt-hour of renewable energy is generated and delivered to the grid, the credit is sold separately and retired so it cannot be used again. 

“Seneca Environmental focuses on investing in and developing renewable energy assets. A key part of this effort is maximizing the value of tribally-owned energy and resources generated from these projects,” Matt Renner, the company’s vice president, told TriplePundit. “While our ultimate goal is to sell our own power, we’ve recognized the importance of building expertise in this area now, rather than waiting for our projects and other tribal initiatives to come online, which will take time.”

The Seneca Nation entered the renewable energy market to position itself as the go-to partner for corporations looking to reach their climate goals by working with a tribally-owned enterprise, Renner said. 

“This approach allows us to mitigate risk while delivering value to corporate clients — such as our collaboration with Pinterest — who are committed to sustainability and meaningful partnerships,” he said.

Some of the RECs Pinterest purchased are tied to a solar project designed to support the local ecosystem in a region of Minnesota dominated by monoculture, an agricultural practice in which the same crop is grown in a field every growing season. While efficient, monoculture can negatively impact ecosystems and soil health. No-mow native plants grow under the solar panels at the project and pollinator-friendly practices support pollinating insects. It also provides Seneca Environmental with crucial capital to scale up.

“The sale of RECs to Pinterest marks a milestone for Seneca Environmental in building our capacity to participate in power markets,” Jeffrey Ellis, CEO of Seneca Environmental’s parent company Seneca Holdings, said in a statement. “This procurement provides us the opportunity to expand Seneca Environmental’s growing capabilities in the renewable energy sector to corporate clients interested in maximizing their impact to the environment as well as underserved communities.”  

RECs have been criticized because they are not viewed as having a direct impact on a company’s carbon footprint, which critics argue allows companies to claim emissions reductions without making changes to their business models. As with carbon credits, issues of double counting and project mismanagement damaged the reputations of major REC issuers and purchasers. 

Despite the criticism, Seneca Environmental sees the REC market as a key tool for corporations and large energy buyers to support renewable energy production.  

“RECs have been a cornerstone of climate action, and we believe they will continue to play a critical role. RECs enable large energy buyers to support and incentivize the use of renewable energy, even when it isn’t directly available in their grid area,” Renner said. “They serve as a reliable accounting mechanism, unlike some less verifiable or unstable carbon approaches — such as forest carbon sequestration — where challenges and controversies have emerged.”

On top of that, Seneca Environmental wants to raise the REC bar. 

“Our goal is to enhance the quality of RECs across the board by raising the baseline standards. This includes developing tribally owned RECs, which we believe will create a measurable and positive impact on frontline communities,” Renner said. “Additionally, we’re collaborating with organizations that focus on setting market standards to ensure renewable energy projects deliver both environmental and equity benefits.”

 

The biggest challenge facing the company is its position as a newcomer in a well-established market, Renner said. While some corporations and customers are intentional about partnering with tribally-owned businesses, others don’t immediately make the connection between climate action and working with tribal enterprises. Some aren’t even aware that tribal enterprises exist, he added.

“These partnerships have been vital to our success. We’ve been fortunate to collaborate with organizations willing to take a chance on us, even as a newer player in the market,” Renner said. “What they see in us — and what our family of companies is deeply committed to — is quality, integrity, teamwork, and a unique connection to the Seneca Nation. This provides an authentic and distinctive business relationship with a Native nation, setting us apart in the industry.”

Providing RECs for Pinterest is a significant milestone because it shows that Seneca Environmental has the capability to deliver on what it sets out to achieve, he said.

“They asked if we could provide RECs competitively alongside their other suppliers and gave us a chance to prove ourselves in the corporate market,” Renner said. “This success validates our approach and commitment to excelling in this market. It begins with RECs, self-development, and strategic investments, but we see this as a stepping stone to even greater opportunities, including collaborations on asset ownership and eventually selling wholesale power in the future.”

Editor's Note: An earlier version of this story referenced the Minnesota solar project in association with Seneca Environmental. Seneca Environmental is not involved with this solar project, and the story was updated on February 6, 2025, to reflect this.