Renewable Energy Certificates Sale by Seneca to Pinterest

The procurement spans 15 countries where Pinterest maintains offices.

Salamanca, NY – January 15, 2025 – Seneca Environmental, the energy solutions division of Seneca Holdings, the wholly owned investment arm of the Seneca Nation, announced today that it has retired an international portfolio of renewable energy certificates (RECs) on behalf of visual search and discovery platform Pinterest. The sale marks the first sale of these types of RECs to a global tech company by a tribally owned enterprise.

With RECs spanning 15 countries including Singapore, Australia, and Japan, the purchase will be used to offset energy load in Pinterest offices, furthering the company’s goal to achieve 100% renewable energy for their offices.

As part of the deal, Pinterest will procure high-impact RECs from Seneca Environmental. These RECs are tied to a project supporting the local ecosystem in a region currently dominated by monoculture agriculture, which includes no-mow native plants and pollinator-friendly practices that support pollinating insects.

“The sale of RECs to Pinterest marks a milestone for Seneca Environmental in building our capacity to participate in power markets while serving customers that value authentic business relationships with tribally owned enterprises,” said Jeffrey Ellis, CEO of Seneca Holdings. “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.”  

The RECs comply with standards set by RE100, a global corporate renewable energy initiative for businesses committed to sourcing 100% of their electricity from renewable sources. RE100 is the leading standard for corporate emissions offsets.

The RECs offered by Seneca Environmental allow corporations to address emissions while also supporting a tribally owned business and a Native Nation. Tribally owned enterprises like Seneca Environmental are a key source of income providing vital services to Native communities, including education and cultural preservation.

To expand on the RECs currently being offered and grow the company’s ability to serve corporate customers, Seneca Environmental will expand its offerings to corporations of RECs from tribally owned renewable energy projects in 2025. These new RECs will provide corporations with increased impact by supporting Native communities’ full participation in the energy transition. In addition to building on Seneca Environmental’s offerings, procuring RECS from tribally owned projects provides companies with a meaningful way to support energy independence and self-determination for other Native communities.

Legislation and initiatives like the Inflation Reduction Act, the Infrastructure and Investment Jobs Act, and the Justice40 Initiative have made the renewable energy market more accessible to both Native communities and their tribally owned businesses. For Native communities, participating in that market includes building and owning renewable energy projects both on their lands and elsewhere across the U.S.

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 and is committed to working with partners and customers to “do the most good.” 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 projects at scale for customers wanting their climate dollars to support historically underserved communities. By accelerating the transition to renewable energy through authentic relationships based on shared values, Seneca Environmental is building a Tribal workforce and Indigenous enterprise capacity to benefit current and future generations. Visit us at senecaenvironmental.com and follow us on LinkedIn and Bluesky.

PR Contact:
Rosana Francescato
Seneca Environmental
415-282-2488
rfrancescato@senecaenvironmental.com