8 Socially Conscious Gadgets

This list of socially conscious gadgets includes iPad apps made by the popular ethical chocolate company, Divine Chocolate, which is based in the United Kingdom but also has a United States affiliate.

According to the Merriam Webster Dictionary, the word gadget emerged in the late 19th century and, at the time, primarily had to do boating: "probably from French gâchette ‘lock mechanism’ or from the French dialect word gagée ‘tool.’" Today, the term, also known as gizmo or just plain "thing," often is hard to pin down when it comes to meaning but typically takes on a technological and instrumental definition From cost-efficient solar kits to crowdsourcing H2O texts, these socially conscious gadgets are a curious mix between novelty and functionality.