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mbg Gift Guides: 11 Presents They'll Want To Use Forever & Ever

Emma Loewe
Author:
November 16, 2018
Emma Loewe
mbg Sustainability + Health Director
By Emma Loewe
mbg Sustainability + Health Director
Emma Loewe is the Senior Sustainability Editor at mindbodygreen and the author of "Return to Nature: The New Science of How Natural Landscapes Restore Us."
Photo by Miachel Breton / mbg Creative
November 16, 2018
We carefully vet all products and services featured on mindbodygreen using our commerce guidelines. Our selections are never influenced by the commissions earned from our links.

The holidays are usually a time of excess, but this year we're proposing a new way to gift. Stay tuned for a curated list of products that epitomize the principles of mindbodygreen: environmental responsibility, community connection, and health benefits to boot. Check out the rest of our gift guides as they publish throughout the month here.

All the earth-friendly presents we're sharing in today's gift guide either come with a lifetime guarantee or are manufactured to be super durable. From an everlasting pen to a nutritional training that keeps on giving, they're lifetime investments that you can feel great about sharing with friends and fam:

1. Patagonia recycled cashmere shirt

Patagonia sets an amazing example for other brands with its repair program. You're always welcome to send Patagonia clothes in for repair or mend them up yourself using at-home care guides. The outdoor company even operates its own Worn Wear van, which travels the country teaching people how to repair and repurpose their old gear.

This keeps clothes out of the landfill and spreads the importance of treating all your belongings like investment pieces. For a more luxe holiday gift, we're loving this cozy crew made of recycled cashmere.


Patagonia Women's Recycled Cashmere Crew ($199)

2. Cross Pen

Who couldn't use a nice pen in their life? End the cycle of constantly drying out or losing writing utensils by gifting this beautiful lifetime-warranty pen from Cross. Pair it with a journal (or bullet journal, if you're feeling fancy), and you have a gift that everyone could use every day.


Calais Matte Metallic Rollerball Pen ($30)

3. Form yoga mat

This long-lasting yoga mat tells a sustainable story—each one is carbon negative, meaning Form calculates the emissions that go into manufacturing and transportation and offsets them by funding renewable energy projects. The natural rubber base in each is finished to be super durable, and you can throw it in the washing machine. It's a perfect starter mat for the yogi-in-training in your life since it's printed with a grid to guide alignment. Grab the circle mat for a home practice and the classic rectangular one if you're strapped for space.


Form Cosmos Round Mat ($102)

4. Enso

This unique and deeply personal "gift of love," as founder Rebecca Goldman puts it, is a small token that fits in your palm and records the rhythm of your heartbeat. You can then "hold" your heartbeat as a way to ground yourself in your body for meditation (might we recommend pairing it with an mbg meditation class?) or hold the heartbeat of a friend or loved one. Using Enso is a beautiful way to forge a deeper connection to yourself or a loved one. Talk about a timeless present.


Enso ($99)

5. Rothy's flats

3D-printed from recycled water bottles, Rothy's are the it-girl shoe of the future. This year, the brand launched a number of new colors and styles, and celebs from Meghan Markle to Karlie Kloss were caught sporting them. And why not? They're comfortable, cute, reasonably priced, and knit to last.


Rothy's Cloud Grey Birdseye ($145)

6. Native Union Lightning Cable Collection

How many times have you lost or broken a phone charger? Actually, please don't think about that, because the answer will probably make you sad. These charging cables are perfect for the practical person in your life who never wants to waste money on a new one again. Native Union's lightning cable collection comes with an option you can wrap up for travel, throw in your pocket, or leave on your bedside table (it's weighted so it won't move around). We won't judge if you keep one for yourself.


Native Union Lightning Cable Collection ($69)

7. mindbodygreen's Functional Nutrition Program

This one-of-a-kind program (which is currently on mega sale, by the way) is the ultimate guide to functional food. It provides unparalleled access to some of the world's leading doctors and nutritionists—from Kelly LeVeque to Mark Hyman, M.D., and Frank Lipman, M.D—through hours of informative videos and interactive live Q&A sessions. Students will walk away with a mindbodygreen Functional Nutrition Guide certification (mbgFNG) and a lifelong understanding of how food can help you feel and look your best.


mindbodygreen Functional Nutrition Program ($999)

8. Hydro Flask food flask

Calling yourself mbg's sustainability editor means trying out your fair share of reusable water bottles and food storage containers—and I can honestly say Hydro Flask's are the most durable. They last forever, keep everything at the perfect temperature, and are a pleasure to carry around. This year, the brand introduced new iterations of their bottles, tumblers, and totes, but its originals like this food flask are still just as great.


Hydro Flask 12-ounce Food Flask ($29.95)

9. Donation to Donors Choose

When mbg spoke with psychologist and happiness expert Elizabeth Dunn about the secret to giving the perfect gift, she said that donations are almost always a safe bet—as long as you choose a cause the other person actually cares about. Donors Choose, which gives to schools in need around the United States, is a great organization because it lets giftees decide exactly what their donation should go toward—be it a microscope in an elementary school in Texas or paints in a middle school in California. "It gives you a clear window into the kind of difference your donation is making," explains Dunn. "That's going to be a much more rewarding gift than a sheet of paper that says someone made a donation on your behalf."


Donation to Donors Choose (any amount)

10. KEEN bag

These bags are on their third life! That's right, they're made of a material that was first fabric scrap, then coffee bean sacks, then this multipurpose clutch. KEEN, primarily a footwear brand, is all about creating durable products that have a lower environmental impact. Plus, since 2003, the company has donated more than $17 million to nonprofits around the world, with a special emphasis on protecting national parks and wild places.



KEEN Harvest Coffee Small Snap Bag ($30)

11. United By Blue trail weekender

This bag is the perfect size to bring along on your weekend adventures from now until...forever. It comes with a lifetime guarantee, and the company will mend it after wear and tear. Not to mention, United By Blue removes 1 pound of trash from the environment with every item purchased by hosting epic cleanups across the United States. So far they're up to 1,456,264 pounds and counting.


United By Blue Trail Weekender ($98)

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