7 Cool Products With a Purpose

While there are tons of nifty products out there, here are seven creative products that help others make an impact on the local and global level. Do you also have an innovative idea that could make a difference in the community? Check out this video to learn how to submit your idea to National Geographic for a chance to win $50,000 to fuel your vision.

Nike’s Power Laces
Remember how desperately you wanted to be as cool as Marty McFly with his self-tying “power laces” from Back to the Future II? Nike applied for a patent for the self-lacing shoe all the way back in 2010 and have forecasted the debut of this technology in 2015. In the meantime, they’ve already released 1,500 replicas of the Nike MAGs worn in the film to raise money for the Michael J Fox Foundation for Parkinson's disease research. It’s yet to be confirmed if they will indeed include this highly anticipated self-lacing technology in a new Back to the Future replica shoe, but chances look good!



Exclusive Bowery Earbuds
These handsome earbuds are individually handcrafted from real, reclaimed wood. No two pairs are the same, and for every pair sold, LSTN helps restore hearing to a person in need through the Starkey Hearing Foundation.



The Soccket
The Soccket is a soccer ball does double duty on the soccer field and in the study room. A team of Harvard University students used technology that converts kinetic energy into electric power to create the Soccket. The ball stores enough energy after just thirty minutes of play to run an LED lamp for three hours, so a child can read at night. Bill Clinton, Bill Gates, Ashton Kutcher and other celebrities and philanthropists have endorsed the Soccket as a fun product that can promote learning in developing countries.



Oliberté
The Oliberté footwear company strives to develop fair wage and sustainable jobs in the heart of Ethiopia, Liberia and Kenya, with additional plans to expand to Cameroon, Congo, Uganda, and Zambia. The for-profit company creates a safe work environment for women in Africa to develop valuable skills for the workforce. The Oliberté product is eco-friendly while the company's business practices are ethical. These high quality kicks are made with all-natural crepe rubber tapped straight from trees and 100% pure leather from free-range, hormone-free goats, sheep, and cows.



Falling Whistles
Falling Whistles is inspired by the young Congolese boys who are sent to the frontlines of war, armed with nothing but a whistle. The nonprofit organization, which uses a commerce-based business model instead of relying on donations, began selling fashion-forward metal whistle necklaces to encourage people to become "whistle-blowers for peace" in Congo, raise awareness about the deadly war and fund the rehabilitation of those who have been affected by the war in the Democratic Republic of Congo. To date, Falling Whistles has sold well over 50,000 whistles.



re:3D Printer
re:3D created the world’s most affordable, large format 3D printer designed to work in developing countries that typically lack the infrastructure we take for granted. With this technology, small communities can print truly useful yet basic amenities that we take for granted, like toilets or a rain bucket. Ultimately, one of re:3D’s missions is to improve local economies around the world through affordable 3D printing.



Hövding: The Invisible Bike Helmet
Hate the look of helmets? Swedish company Hövding has created an “invisible bike helmet” in the form of a collar that contains an airbag that will inflate and protect your head in the event of an accident on your bike. In tests by a Swedish insurance company, Hovding was shown to be at least three times better at absorbing shock than conventional helmets for bicyclists. While the price tag is considerably hefty at $535, you can’t put a price on safety combined with looks!



Are you inspired? Submit your own game changing idea for a chance to win $50,000 to fund your passion project at expeditiongranted.com.