The Valley of Light sustainability project was inspired by the work of many dedicated scientists and spiritualists – all of whom believe that the world must undergo a major shift in conservation and consciousness if we wish to survive. Currently, we are living during what biologists and botanists are calling the “Sixth Great Extinction.” In short, since life crawled out of the oceans approximately 540 million years ago, there have been five big extinctions, during which 50% – 95% of all life on our planet was lost. Thereafter, it took planet Earth roughly 10 million years to reestablish the biodiversity that existed before each extinction event.

The current Sixth Great Extinction is different than the previous death marches for two very important reasons: (1) the current ecological problems are primarily the result of man-made events (as opposed to naturally occurring disasters, like meteors hitting our planet or an ice age); and (2) Homo sapiens weren’t around the last time vast amounts of life on Earth vanished – which means we may very well perish too.

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), maintains a “Red List” of endangered species. Currently, IUCN estimates that 1 in 4 mammals, 1 in 8 birds, and 1 in 3 amphibians are at risk of extinction. In total, 40% of the species of planet Earth are in danger, including 51% of reptiles, 52% of insects, and 73% of our flowering plants. Scientists also report that 90% of all large fishes have disappeared from the oceans. And those life forms that are not currently impacted by mankind’s selfishness will feel the effects soon enough, for the biodiversity of ecosystems is intertwined. In other words, life is dependent on life . . . all the way up the food chain to us.

Oracle is proud to be supporting the work of international environmentalists Bill McKibben and David Suzuki, both of whom have contributed essays to our upcoming anthology, The Love: Of the Fifth Spiritual Paradigm. Bill McKibben’s essay appears in the Love of Earth chapter and is entitled: The Next Revolution. And David Suzuki’s essay appears in the Love of Family chapter and is entitled: The Law of Love. Both pieces underscore the need for all of us to take personal responsibility for ending the fossil fuel era and embracing a new way of life – one based on community, conservation, and compassion.

We also applaud their efforts in mobilizing the largest ecological demonstration in the history of the world! The International Day of Climate Action occurred on October 24, 2009, and more than 180 countries participated. We encourage our readers to view the pictures gathered from all over the globe by visiting www.350.org. The name refers to the goal of reducing carbon in the atmosphere from its current level of 380 parts per million to a life sustainable 350 ppm. 350’s next action day will be December 12, 2009, during the Copenhagen Climate Talks. Let’s get behind it!