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I derived my big idea from a Web-based company called ECHOage, which two mothers started late last year to stop the madness around children’s birthday parties.

Children's birthday celebrations can be an opportune way to help kids learn about gratitude and giving back. "It was truly borne out of a need that we witnessed as mothers," says co-founder Alison Smith, a mom of two. "There is a way to make this (birthday parties) a meaningful experience and a way we can impart our values to our kids and make the world a better place," she explains.

So get this - no paper wasting invites, no 5 huge trashbags full of giftwrap, no one million cardboard boxes from toys AND your child still gets a great gift from their guests? Its a win-win!

This is so cool on so many levels - kids learn to give back to a charity of their choice, they get fewer gifts, we Moms don't have to shop or leave our homes to purchase a gift for the b-day boy or girl.

The online party planning service shows youngsters how to value social responsibility and environmental awareness while still having a blast.

To its credit, Canadian company ECHOage wants to tweak tradition by ushering in a new era of scaled back, environmentally-conscious celebrations.