Crowdfunding company Abundance Generation wishes you a greener Christmas
(Pic: Abundance)
A new campaign has been launched to resurrect the original green-garbed Father Christmas to promote a holiday season less focused on consumption.
Launched by crowdfunding platform Abundance Generation, it is hoped the ‘Green Father Christmas’ will encourage people to invest in clean technology projects.
The green Father Christmas was last spotted in the 1920’s, before a well-known drinks company expanded his waistline and donned him in red to promote its brand.
Far removed from his modern image, Father Christmas once dressed in green, cut a slim figure, assisting children and those in need.
Bruce Davis, cofounder and joint managing director of Abundance Generation said this project is against the ‘conumerisation’ of Christmas.
“There’s a fast growing shift away from giving material goods, to buying gifts with meaning. We’re pretty sure Father Christmas would approve of our Green Energy Investments: a gift that’s helping to create a clean energy future, as well as a secure return for people.”
The gift of a Green Energy Investment includes Abundance Generation membership and a handful of their green energy debentures.
Customers can gift an investment of £5, £10, £50, £100 or £1,000 in solar or wind power projects across the UK, helping friends and family be part of the shift to clean energy.
This offers a fixed return of 6.65% IRR over a 19-year duration.
Ideal as a gift for children, the investment can put into a bare trust until a child reaches 18 years of age.
In order to get people on board there will be a big social media push to spread the word as well as a secret stunt.
Abundance Generation does warn that part or all of the original invested capital may be at risk and any return on investment depends on the success of the project invested in.
All products from Abundance are long term investments and may not be readily realisable (and their value can rise or fall). Estimated rates of return are variable and estimates are no guarantee of actual return.
The company’s most successful debenture purchase took place a few weeks ago when it received over £400,000 of debentures bought in less than a month to go towards a rooftop solar power project in Nottingham.
In receipt of the same IRR as the Christmas gifts campaign, the company said participants would receive capital repayments, so an individual investing £950 could expect to receive £90.39 a year, consisting of a £50 capital repayment plus £39.93 in interest and £1.43 in a “Pioneer Bonus”.
Returns are paid in twice yearly payments over the term of the project, although investors can sell their holdings on to others via the Abundance website.
Davis said: “Investing in UK solar projects is now breaking through to the mainstream investor. This is reflected in both the speed of this raise and growing numbers of investors looking for income returns from investments directly into renewable energy assets.”