Earth-friendly Birthday?
Guide to a greener shower, an unplugged drain, and more

Planning my four-year old’s birthday party, I came to realize that party stores sell mostly single-use plastic stuff that’s soon-to-be trash. What are some good sustainable alternatives? -Nancy, MN

A I certainly sympathize with your dilemma. What could be more dispiriting than the thought of concluding a rollicking fun birthday bash by stuffing a giant trash bag with food-flecked scraps of plastic? After all, it’s quite possible that the residues of our own childhood celebrations still sit to this day in a landfill somewhere in a nearly pristine state. So what is the good steward of the environment to do?

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Q I am in the process of making my apartment as earth-friendly as possible and am wondering where I can find a good shower curtain and towels? -Ted R., CA

A The omnipresent PVC shower curtain certainly presents a host of vexing issues. Sure you can dress it up with neat colors and clever prints, but at the end of the day the fact remains that this bathroom mainstay is positively drip-