Introduction: This article consists of two parts: the theoretical one, introducing several key terms, and the empirical part, presenting the analysis of sociological research. Explaining the concept of ‘education’ in the first part of the article allowed for formulating relevant hypotheses on students’ approach to the problems of environmental protection. Material and Methods: The proposed hypotheses were then verified with regard to the project executed in 2015, which investigated the position and role of environmental values in the value system of students from selected countries of Central Eastern Europe. The description of this research is presented in the second part of the article Results: The conclusions from the analysis with regard to the country and faculty of studies are rather disturbing. The findings revealed that the level of environmental education in students is relatively low. The overall comparative analysis demonstrated that students from the Czech Republic represented the highest level of environmental awareness compared to those from Ukraine, Poland and Slovakia. Further, the analysis took into consideration the students’ faculty and showed that those studying natural sciences were only slightly better educated in environmental protection compared to students of humanities. This may indicate that even when young people receive environmental education, it does not help in creating a bond between them and the natural environment. Conclusions: Although the findings should be treated with some caution, they still deserve serious consideration, and should stimulate further research in this area.