THE FEATURES OF FORMING THE ECOLOGICAL CONSCIOUSNESS OF A PERSON

In recent decades, people have faced a severe threat of an ecological catastrophe, primarily due to the conflict between culture and the laws of nature. Society has exceeded the capabilities of the biosphere. In this context, there is a need to make all aspects of social life more environmentally friendly, including developing and implementing resource-saving and waste-free technologies, which requires the active participation of ecologically conscious persons. The environment must be provided with the necessary resources for carrying out socially significant work. Knowledge of the interactions between society and the environment, understanding the immediate and long-term consequences of natural changes, appreciation, conservation of natural resources, and love for nature are essential. Technological progress has improved people's financial lives, but unfortunately, it has caused significant damage to the entire biosphere. In these conditions, the understanding of contradictions arising in the "nature-conscious society" sphere lags behind the constant growth of conflicts. Resolving the ecological problems of the current stage of social development requires a new worldview and the formation of people's thinking and attitudes toward the major issues of human life. The formation of this ideology allows people to recognize their honesty and naturalness and transform consumer relations into sustainable consumption. Despite society's attempts to reflect its actions against nature, people's perceptions of the world are still distorted, their natural behavior is ecologically abnormal, and people are not yet ready to actively work in harmony with nature. Therefore, the relevance of the research topic is determined by the need for a deep and comprehensive analysis of information on the formation of ecological consciousness in the context of natural social development. Theoretical research enables the creation of a broad concept of environmental consciousness and the revelation of its nature, functions, and role in the development of the environment. The article hypothesizes that the formation of ecological consciousness depends on the person's age. Based on a sociological study conducted by the Ilko Kucheriv Democratic Initiatives Foundation on behalf of the Environmental Law Association, problems of forming ecological consciousness and age-specific features of ecological perception were identified. As a result, forms and methods of creating ecological consciousness for different age groups were developed: children (preschoolers), adolescents (schoolchildren and students), and adults. The article emphasizes the necessity of educational and awareness-raising activities among the people of each age group to form ecological consciousness effectively.