I’ve never been a fan of straws — due to vanity, not concerns for the environment. Sure, straws might keep your teeth from getting Coke-stained — but I don’t drink coke, and I fear permanent wrinkles around the lips!

The straw-sucking = wrinkles bit is something I read during my formative years, in a “reliable” beauty mag, no doubt, which basically made me avoid straws altogether except with the occasional cocktail. I looked for verification of this beauty tip this week — and the best source I could find was Allure….

Still, whether or not you believe the straw-causes-wrinkle issue aside, the enviro-reason for avoiding straws are solid. Nix the straws, and you’ll avoid a lot of plastic waste. But if you can’t quit the straw habit, here are a couple non-disposable straw options I found through Re-Nest:

Reusable Bamboo Party Straws. These rather crunchy-looking bamboo straws would go nicely with a Mai Tai or any drink served in a coconut. Made by a fair trade business in Laos called Kopnoi, these straws do have one major downside: The cleaning process seems rather involved. Instructions are to “cover them in water with vinegar, boil them for 20 minutes then lay to dry. The set of twelve, complete with a handwoven cotton bag, costs $16.95 at Global Exchange.

Stainless steel straws. These sleek and sleek reusable straws look like they’ll last a long long time. They’ll will go nicely with a stainless steel flask, if you’re inclined to use a straw with it, or with your stainless steel cocktail shaker, if you’re so in a hurry you don’t want to bother pouring your drink into a glass. Plus, stainless steel’s easily recyclable! A set of 4 costs $12.99 at After5.

One other straw-related party idea I’ve had: Serve drinks in sippy cups so as to eliminate both the need for straws and the possibility of drink-spillage. Unfortunately I haven’t been able to try this out since I don’t own any sippy cups, but I think this’d be an especially good idea for a baby shower party….

Anyway — There are also plastic straws made of plexiglass and polycarbonate, but due to BPA and other health and environmental concerns, I haven’t included them in this short roundup. Sip happy –

Update, 3/9/09: And now for reusable glass straws….

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