News Release: Seneca Environmental Wins Green Power Leadership Award
Seneca Environmental Wins 2026 Green Power Leadership Award
The GLPA was awarded to Seneca Environmental for its leadership in the area of Market Innovation.
Salamanca, NY – September 2, 2026 – Seneca Environmental, the energy solutions division of Seneca Holdings, the wholly owned investment arm of the Seneca Nation, announced today that it has won in the Market Innovation category in this year’s Green Power Leadership Awards (GPLAs). Whitner Chase of Seneca Environmental accepted the award at this year’s Renewable Energy Markets™ 2026 (REM) Conference in Washington, DC.
The GPLAs are awarded by the nonprofit Center for Resource Solutions (CRS) in the categories of Impactful Procurement, Market Innovation, Education and Awareness, and Leader of the Year. Award nominees are competitively judged by an independent jury of green power market experts. The award to Seneca Environmental was in the category of Market Innovation, which recognizes organizations building and growing the voluntary market for renewable energy. This award honors leaders that are innovators and champions of renewable energy and whose actions are supporting the accelerated development of renewable energy markets.
Seneca Environmental won the award for its leadership in expanding the voluntary market for renewable energy certificates (RECs) by connecting corporate and mission-driven buyers to renewable energy purchases with differentiated community, tribal, and ecosystem value.
In 2025, Seneca Environmental completed a transaction with Pinterest for RECs tied to a project that supports local ecosystems through no-mow native plants and pollinator-friendly practices. In 2026, Seneca will be retiring Green-e certified RECs from a tribally owned solar facility on Pinterest’s behalf.
Also in 2026, Seneca Environmental sold RECs to Wise Ink Media, a Minneapolis publisher making renewable energy part of the physical production and consumer-facing story of books. When We’re Under the Same Roof includes a sustainability note stating the book was published and printed with electricity from a pollinator-friendly Minnesota solar farm, with RECs procured through Seneca Environmental and tracking of renewable generation and attribute ownership provided by CleanCounts, a nonprofit and North America’s largest clean energy registry. CleanCounts first introduced pollinator-friendly solar RECs in 2023 by utilizing data provided by Minnesota’s Board of Water and Soil Resources’ Habitat Friendly Solar program. The CleanCounts registry keeps the official record that the RECs were created, claimed by Wise Ink, and taken out of circulation.
“We are honored to receive the GLPA for our work supporting impactful energy procurement,” said Whitner Chase, Senior Manager at Seneca Environmental. “Our RECs sales to Pinterest and Wise Ink Media show that corporate renewable energy purchasing can do more than meet a sustainability goal. It can support tribally owned enterprise, strengthen clean energy markets, and help buyers connect their purchases to a more tangible story of impact.”
The RECs offered by Seneca Environmental allow corporations to address emissions while also supporting a tribally owned business and a Native Nation. Seneca Environmental’s profits directly support the needs of the Seneca Nation, a Native Nation that has been deeply impacted by systemic injustice yet has a legacy of environmental stewardship, resilience, and leadership. Procuring RECS from tribally owned businesses like Seneca Environmental provides companies a meaningful way to support energy independence and self-determination for Native communities.
About Seneca Environmental
Seneca Environmental, a division of Seneca Holdings, LLC, was established to equitably deploy and invest in innovative climate solutions that heal the Earth. Wholly owned by the Seneca Nation, Seneca Environmental is a Tribally owned business whose profits go directly toward supporting the on-territory needs of the members of the Seneca Nation. Seneca Environmental delivers climate solutions at scale for customers who want their climate dollars to support historically underserved communities. Visit us at senecaenvironmental.com and follow us on LinkedIn and Bluesky.
PR Contact:
Matt Renner, Seneca Environmental
(510) 517-1343
mrenner@senecaenvironmental.com
