The naivete, ethusiasm and idealism of young people is not a thing to be scorned, for it is the raw material of constructive growth. In the end, we conserve only what we love. We will love only what we understand. We will understand only what we are taught. Conservation is the basis for permanent peace.
Conservation is the application of common sense to the common problems for the common good.
To save every cog and wheel is the first caution of intelligent tinkering. Materialism simply cannot survive the transition to a sustainable world. The supreme reality of our time is the vulnerability of our planet. There is something fundamentally wrong with treating the earth as if it were a business in liquidation. Ecology challenges us to vigorous complexity, not passive simplicity.