Maybe in this strange year we’ve been having you haven’t been able to get down to the shops, or even send the usual Christmas cards - but you still want to make sure that your family and friends know you are thinking about them. Well, how about sending them a virtual present instead? One that not only shows you care about them, but also helps to look after the future of the planet as well.

Enter GoParity, a Portuguese startup that connects sustainability projects seeking funding with people who want to invest in social and environmental causes. This Christmas they have launched a Gift Card feature on their website, that means you can simply go online and send somebody this Gift Card by email and give them credit to invest in a sustainable project of their choice.

How it works is like this, you visit their websitegoparity.com/xmas and select who you want to send the card to, and how much you want to invest on their behalf (the minimum investment used to be 20 euros but this Christmas, to try and make the world of sustainable investment even more inclusive, GoParity has lowered it to just 5 euros). Your chosen recipient then gets your ‘Christmas Card’ by email, and once they’ve registered they will be able to have a look on the website at which sustainable project (that can range from reforesting a burnt down area, to building a solar energy farm for a local community) they would like to invest in. And it's exactly that, an investment. Every month they will get a percentage of their loan back, so even if it is just 5 euros, the cents will slowly trickle back, plus interest, and they can then decide what to invest in next.

Everyone's a winner. Your family and friends get to know that they are on your mind and in your heart, they will get the money back from the investment, plus interest, and most importantly, it's a positive step in making the world a brighter, greener place.

GoParity says that by offering one of these cards to a loved one you’re not only contributing to the materialisation of more projects with a positive social and environmental impact, but also promoting the change you want to see in the world by encouraging and empowering people to step into the green side of the economy and commit to a more sustainable world.