It may not sound too optimistic or even the best tact, but most of our energy in changing the way our society looks and the environment and especially our houses and other buildings should be focused on the youth, the next generation of home buyers and renovators. We should try to instill in them through both example as well as educational materials the value of being more conscious of how our decisions effect the environment and ultimately our future. In some respects, the present generations are "lost causes", so why not focus more of that energy on the next generation of consumers and hopefully less wasters.

If you did do this, you would be surprised how much the adults (read parents) would learn. Its what is called reverse socialization and it happens when the inferior, in this case the child, "teaches" or leads by example to the superior in the relationship. The concept of reverse socialization is much more complex but in this case part of it is guilt driven. Whatever pushes us forward though.

I don't think that any age group is a "lost cause". You just have to find the motivator for them and tap into it. The reason children are easier is that they don't have decades of building bad habits or built in biases. Children are still open to alternatives and exploration of new ideas. Find a way to tap into the potential of each generation and gear programs and marketing toward them and you will be able to change the way people think no matter how old they are.

It is so much easier and impactful to connect with children though. Adults have defined patterns, other mitigating factors such as raising children, work, taxes, etc, that can jade their views of the green movement. I just think that touching the minds of children early and providing them with the foundation for an outlook of global stewardship is going to be both easier and more successful than most campaigns geared toward adults.