Bee, you speak the truth. The Roman Colosseum had been stripped of much of its beautiful stone work a long time ago, but not for eco-reasons; many Roman homes were built from the stone work and wood.
Where do we usually go to see history? Europe! Because Europeans revere their history, and here we can't seem to wait to rip something down in order to build something new and shiny.
What would be the point of tearing down Hetch-Hetchy? SF would seek its water elsewhere anyway. Besides, as has already been mentioned on this topic, it would take a long time for that valley to regain any of its former natural beauty - if ever.
