Social responsibility is the new black

... or in this case, the new venti caramel skim milk, no whip latte:



Ok, so the music is super-cheesy, but the concept is indicative of a new trend: social responsibility. Companies world-wide are making CSR an integral part of their business plans while social entrepreneurship and micro-finance have become new buzz-words in the development arena. As new leadership has come to America, we heard from the steps of the Capitol the new President tell us all that:

Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America. For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act - not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth...We honor [our fallen heroes] not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service; a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves. And yet, at this moment – a moment that will define a generation – it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all.

This "spirit of service" was harnessed by the Obama campaign in an unparalleled way which energized a population practically into a grassroots movement... and, arguably, led to the election of President Barack Obama.

With the new administration in Washington encouraging individual responsibility and social consciousness as a necessary part of working towards sustainable change, it seems like service and social responsibility will be seeping deeper into America (and hopefully the world) over the next 4 (maybe 8) years. For, as our new President reminded us yesterday:

...as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies...Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new... What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility – a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.

This is the price and the promise of citizenship.

President Obama... thank you, and good luck.