In Habitat for Sanity, Liz Roberts expresses her understanding of the value of a land's natural state along with its dollar value. She believes that developers in New Jersey are constantly destroying natural habitats and constructing homes and buildings over them. She feels that they are unappreciative of the environment, which we, as well as animals, live in--they simply "don't care." Unfortunately, it is difficult to save our environment of man-made manufacturing because we cannot afford to buy the land that developers are working on. Similar to transcendentalist beliefs of Thoreau, Roberts deems it unnecessary for all of these establishments to be manufactured; once a new one is built, the older one is forgotten about. It is superficial to make all of these so-called improvements to our nation, when in reality, it is only decreasing nature's value. I feel that there are many constructions that have made a huge impact on society, such as the World Trade Center, however Americans are definitely spendthrift with their money. It is costing them to build these establishments, but it is also costing us our natural habitats.
Tremendously inspired by Thoreau's essay, Walden, Don Henley discusses the threat of real estate development in Walden Woods and how Thoreau had provided him with a "spiritual awakening" to the preservation of it. He feels that the woods are exceedingly inspiring and it should be embraced for its beauty. I think it is completely disrespectful to tear down the woods of such an influential writer. Just as Henley states "we might just as well turn all our national parks, our monuments to freedom and independence, into theme parks and shopping malls," I completely agree with his cynic remark. The great woods that he lived in preserve Thoreau's literature and principles of living.
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