Echoage Parties

How do you make sure your services are accessible and that the charity aspect doesn't become as excessive as the gift giving?

Alison: We recognize that this is an issue. We set a cap on giving at $30 to make sure that it doesn't get out of hand.

Is there an optimal age for introducing a charity birthday party?

Debbie: We are really impressed by who's signing up. There are so many one-year-olds, but there are also 13-year-olds making that decision for themselves. It's always a great time to talk to your children about giving and the environment.

How did you come up with the concept for ECHOage?

Alison: These days, parents of young children are strongly encouraged by teachers to invite the whole class to a child's birthday party. That can mean anything from 12 to 25 guests. It's an inclusive strategy, but it means that parents spend a huge amount of time traveling to stores to select presents for children they may not even know that well. There's the issue of car emissions and then there's the time spent traveling that could be spent with your kids. We kept thinking there must be a better way to spend our time. Kids are so open to change and interested in saving the environment. ECHOage cuts down on waste and opens up a discussion that children are ready to have.

Could you describe what your company does?

Debbie: We offer a child empowerment program that helps children make a difference in a meaningful way at the time of their birthday. Through our website, the birthday child or a parent chooses an online invitation. Then they select a charity—we've got three listed for Canada and four for the United States. The invitation asks guests to participate in a movement to change the world by giving to others and helping the environment. Instead of bringing a wrapped gift to the party, guests give between $10 and $30, half of which goes toward the chosen charity and half of which goes toward buying the birthday child one special gift. People can RSVP without participating, but the invitation does ask that guests not come to the party with a wrapped gift. The idea is to pool money to buy one meaningful present and to do something that everyone at the party can feel good about.

How did you select the charities listed on your website?

Debbie: We were looking for charities that focused on improving the lives of children. The charities we chose [such as Nourish America and Girls Inc. for U.S. customers] give children a hands-on, realistic way to make a difference. We looked at whether these charities addressed causes in a way that children could visualize and understand.

What is a typical birthday party for the under-ten crowd like these days?

Debbie: The under-ten children are doing a broad range of things. They have soccer and dance parties, go to the movies, throw slumber parties. ECHOage provides services to children from 1 to 13. Alison: One thing these parties have in common, though, is that they involve a lot of excess and waste. As moms, Debbie and I were witnessing this over and over and felt like there had to be a better way. Children weren't focused on the presents. They were excited by the beauty of having their friends come to celebrate with them. All these presents were a societal imposition, not something the children were even very interested in.

What do you think kids learn from this kind of party?

Debbie: The educational component is significant. First children have the opportunity to learn about what a charity is and what it does. It's also an opportunity to reduce. Recycling can be easier to achieve, but reducing requires a shift in thinking. Giving to charity and the environment puts knowledge about the planet into action. We see it as a jumping off point.

How are your parties "green"?

Debbie: First, there's the reduction in wrapping-paper waste, then in toy packaging, which is often plastic, and finally in the number of toys given. All of that would have ended up in landfills. We also use online invitations and thank-you notes, so that saves on paper invitations that might otherwise have been mailed. We consider our service the first step for children and parents to begin greening a birthday party. Parties are generally very non-environmental. We're asking families to start by dealing with the gifts.

Judith Martin (a.k.a. Ms. Manners) was quoted on the subject of child "philanthroparties," asking: "Do you really want the birthday child to grow up hating philanthropy because it's done him out of his birthday presents?" How do you respond to that argument?

Alison: Our program inherently addresses that problem by giving the child one meaningful gift. We realize that it's special to receive a birthday gift, and if we didn't get that we'd be missing the boat. The child's birthday deserves to be acknowledged. Through our program, one child decided to ask for a guitar, one chose skates, another chose music lessons. Parents and a child can decide together what would make a good gift. There's been research done that shows children who perform acts of kindness and generosity are more likely to behave in that manner as adults, so it's wrong to say a child would grow up to hate philanthropy because they were introduced to giving early on. We've watched children and thought a lot about what it is about a birthday party that makes kids happy. We believe strongly in children's ability to rise to a challenge, and kids feel so good about what they do when they donate to a charity. The birthday child receives an award from us and accolades from friends and family for the decision to give as well as to receive. Debbie: Children attending the party also receive an award—a message acknowledging what an amazing thing they've done.

What were your favorite birthday gifts when you were kids?

Alison: I can't remember, but I always think of my husband who talks about his sixth birthday when his friends all got together to chip in for a hockey stick. He'll never forget it. When children do something as a collective and purchase one meaningful gift, it's something special. It's not intimate when parents are going around in a last-minute frenzy every weekend to find birthday gifts.

What's your take on loot bags?

Debbie: We're in the process of developing a green solution to loot bags that will be available on the website in the next few months. If there's a growing consensus among parents that there are too many gifts at birthday parties, there's a resounding consensus about loot bags being a disaster. Parents hate buying them and giving them and receiving them. Often they're plastic bags filled with plastic toys and candies like toffee that stick to mouths and floors and car seats. Normally there's cake at a party, so why does everyone need to go home with more sugar?

Besides eliminating last-minute gifts and wrapping paper, what are some ways parents could make their children's parties more eco-friendly?

Debbie: Number one is to use reusable plates and cups. Parents can label cups with stickers so everyone knows which is theirs. There's a whole industry built around selling birthday products—things like birthday hats, streamers, balloons, and banners. I don't know it's necessary. If the party is outside, the children will be interested in nature. It's also a good idea to carpool, and we help coordinate that on our website. Throwing a party within walking distance so that guests don't need to drive is a good idea too. The green movement is really strong among parents, and people are becoming more conscientious about offering healthier snacks and that kind of thing.

Is there a product or service that you wish were green but isn't?

Debbie: Since we're in Canada, the ice on our streets can be pretty heavy sometimes. The salt that we use on the ice can be harmful to our rivers and lakes.

What green thing do you do that sometimes feels absurd?

Debbie: I turn off my car in any traffic lineup. I'm idling-obsessed. Alison: I'm into sorting the garbage these days. The kids are really excited about it, too. In Canada, we have these green bins in our kitchens now for any organic waste.

Do you have any eco-sins—guilty pleasures or enjoyable indulgences that aren't green?

Debbie:Alison:

I'm a nail polish person. It's hard to find any without formaldehyde. [Psst: We have some suggestions that you can order online, if you"re okay with the fuel miles: green nail polish options on Sprig.com.]