In one of my university classes on adult aging and development we visited older folks at the community senior center. One of the ladies there (not "old old" by any means, maybe in her 60's?) said something I think I'll always remember -- "We've messed up the world so much. It's nice to see younger folks in here learning about what we've done and how they can fix it". She wasn't just talking about pollution and resources, she talked a lot about culture and society too.

She was in my group a few times, so we talked about car-free and cycling a bit. She was so impressed that I was out there on my bike every day instead of wasting money on a "wasteful, evil" (her words!) car. She said she wishes she could still ride too, but she wasn't allowed to medically. She got a few others in our class interested in cycling too through some pictures she had of her cycling/walking trip in England about 10 years ago. Talk about a generation of change!