I think that teaching and encouraging recycling is a good idea. Teaching kids that lower pollution is a good thing is great. I think that we should definitely be teaching ecology in schools.
The problem I see dealing with college students is that they are taught these topics without any perspective. Students think that the extinction of a species or even a sub-species is a huge catastrophe that warrants any amount of money and effort to stop. They aren't taught that the number of extant species is tiny compared to the number of extinct ones, or that extinctions are a natural part of evolution. I do think that if humans are responsible for destroying habitats, that limiting development on the remaining habitat is appropriate, but there should be limits.
I see the same thing with global warming. People should be educated about greenhouse gasses, and their effect on climate. But I find that most people know that, but have no idea that the Earth's climate is _always_ changing. Sea level is not a constant, it has oscillated hundreds of meters throughout the Earth's history. Ice ages come and go. Global temperatures have been both much higher and much lower than today.
Certainly, global warming is a serious issue. But as we look for ways to respond, we need to figure out how much of the change is due to human activities, and how much of a difference it would make to reduce our greenhouse gas output.
Of course, being a Geology grad student exposes me more to the Earth's history than most
