Earth day or let's ease the guilt day?

Earth Day 2010. i was just sitting here and reading all the updates on what is happening in the world, things such as the devastating decrease in the grey whale population, the huge loss of the Monarch butterflies and what that will mean for the pollination of our food, the huge plastic garbage dump we call the ocean. . . . it goes on and on. These are terrible huge things that are happening. Then I realized it was Earth Day and I googled that to see what was being done.I still can't believe the total sense of priorities, or rather total lack of priorities on the human population as a whole. All these huge global changes are taking place all around us and we are being told to cut back on our use of hot water, use energy efficient light bulbs, reuse and recycle and try to ride a bike or walk instead of drive once in awhile. IS THAT IT ??? Seriously, is that all humankind is willing to do? To think that so many people consider this little bit of effort to be difficult and even a sacrifice. The total lack of caring about the future of the world, the future of humankind itself, leaves me numb. You hear all the time about how humans are so much above animals because we have the ability to "reason". Maybe this was true once and is true for a few, but I rather think that somehow this has been bred out of us through the generations. Humans think only about themselves,not about the whole, but truly about themselves as an individual above anything else.If things won't bother them in this lifetime then what does it matter to them at all? Who cares about the CONSEQUENCES.?
I think I know now what happened to the flower children. I think that they had to conform to society in order to survive, in order to get jobs and money, in order to live a life that is expected by society. Everyone has become afraid to speak out, afraid to make a difference. What is there to be afraid of in words that makes them so all powerful? If they are so strong, why don't we use them instead of guns?