Are you SPONSIBLE?

If you're a person of modest integrity (and we know you are, right?) then odds are you're a responsible person. You take accountability for your own actions without having to be called onto the carpet.

"Yup. That was me. I'm the one who snatched up that last slice of gouda. Sorry. My bad."

Good on you for that. Unfortunately it seems you're an increasingly rare breed in this age of "gotcha" politics, when so few public figures are willingly taking responsibility for their actions. More like they have to first be caught in the act and then maybe, maybe they'll own up. Or not.

"I just happen to take a wide stance in bathroom stalls..."

Regardless, you are one of the good ones. You have proven yourself time and again to be responsible. Thanks again for that.

Now we'd like to make a request of you. Most reading this will not honor our request, and that's okay. What we're asking for requires a special breed of person – one who has consistently stepped up to the plate and who is now ready to hit the walk-off homer and win one for the team. (Baseball makes for such great metaphors, don't it?) We are looking for those who are up to a challenge of worldwide proportions. That's big.

So yes, we know that you're responsible. Now however a new question begs: Are you sponsible, and moreover, are you willing to be?

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From this point on we will take a broad leap and assume that because you've chosen to stick with us after learning the meaning of our little neologism that you are indeed up to our challenge. Now, we obviously have no way to hold you answerable or accountable for being sponsible and fact is, we have no desire to be. You see, the thing about sponsibility is that, much like responsibility, it's something that's all on you. No one can make you sponsible any more than they can make you responsible.

Okay, enough semantics. Let's get to the thrust of this term we've just christened. The main idea here is that we want to motivate you to get out there and take sponsibility for things you see that you believe need a-changin', whether they're your business or not. See, as we mentioned earlier, it's somewhat easy to take responsibility for the cheese. It's a whole 'nother kettle of fish, however, to go out and take sponsibility for your office's wasting of resources, for the homeless guy who asks you for change every morning while you're on your way to said office, or for the decimation of the mountain gorilla population. Responsibility takes courage. Sponsibility takes courage, initiative and a big heart.

And while responsibility is mostly a passive thing, sponsibility is about taking action – getting out there and doing sh*t. A lot of us (that includes us) can be accused of having been passive on occasion, even when that whiny little voice inside tells us to get up and do something. And that's okay, for then. But this is now.

This is the time when we become conscious of ourselves and how we fit within our world and how we relate to others, and we're not just talking to people but to bears and frogs and coelocanths and to redwoods and orchids and even to Lake Eerie and the Grand Tetons.

So here is our challenge: Make a pledge – no standing required – to join us in being sponsible from this day forward. We've already vowed to do so and the fruits of our labor will be updated right here over the coming months and years. We're more than happy to steer this ship. All that we ask is that you climb on board and help swab the deck and peel the potatoes (on shifts, of course).

This ain't no disco. This ain't no foolin' around. This is a new dawning. This is the era of sponsibility. Welcome. Trust us, it's going to be a fun ride.

Now step outside your cubicle and ask your neighbor, "Are you sponsible?" If they don't know the answer then it's your duty as a citizen of this planet of ours to tell them lovingly, gently, but in no uncertain terms...

GET SPONSIBLE!

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LINK OF THE DAY
FieldsofFuel.com

We had the chance to attend a screening of Josh Tickell's amazing doc, Fields of Fuel. It tells of his one-man crusade to educate America as to the benefits of switching from fossil fuel to biodiesel. His case is compelling. From cleaner air to better fuel efficiency and lower costs to an ending of our dependency on OPEC nations to an empowerment of our farmers and scientists.

Fields of Fuel will play the 2008 Sundance Film Festival but is still a work in progress as of this writing. Please feel free to donate generously to Josh's labor of love so he can get the word out to an even broader audience. We did.

Here's a preview...