Today marks the third annual Universe Day, and individuals and organizations all over the world will be designing their own events to solve our planet's problems with a new universe evolutionary worldview.

Universe Day is inspired by Albert Einstein, who said, "We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them." Solving the immense challenges we face as a planet – severe climate change, war, and the global economic crisis – will require us to adopt an entirely new way of thinking. Universe Day was created to expand our approach to solving these issues by adopting a broader and more useful Universe Evolutionary Worldview.

Much like Earth Day, organizers invite people to self-organize and create their own local events to spread the message. "Steal it, even, if it hastens the spread of its vital message," said Lawrence Wollersheim, director of the Universe Institute.

"Evolution in the universe is the core system that sustains our existence – both personal and planetary. ... For the first time, humanity is now capable of seeing itself from the biggest possible perspective. Humanity has finally found itself embedded within the biggest inter-connected and inter-dependent process there is – universe-scaled evolution," said Wollersheim.

Weigh in: What is the single most important global challenge that you believe we must address in 2012? What will it take to solve that challenge?

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons