… Is not going to cut it as an excuse to our children and future descendents.
In response to a post on my Facebook page, where I wondered allowed if any studies have been done on the correlation between manicured lawn obsession and a preference for extreme authoritarianism, one friend and fellow activist pointed out that often it is beyond the control of the residents. Lawn services are hired by HOA’s, apartment managers, condo boards, and so on.
I responded:
Glad you brought this up. This is actually part of our work. (I mean we as in a very broad umbrella. Native plant societies, rewilding groups, permaculture guilds, people who live with dogs & other animal companions, people who aspire to have fruit trees & fresh vegetables in their immediate environment, etc.)
By the way, thank YOU for being a major force for awareness and voluntary change. In this arena as in many others.
Residents of condos, apartments, planned communities etc. — the more they start realizing what’s at stake, maybe they will be more willing to engage with the “Boogey Man” — the management of their residential complexes. 
We (the “umbrella” movement) can help them with that.
We (citizens in general) can’t keep using HOA’s etc as an excuse why we are powerless to stop the extinction of insects and birds, the killing of waterways etc. “My HOA wouldn’t let me” will not cut it with our children and future descendants.  HOAs and similar entities have become a handy scapegoat. Sort of like “the dog ate my homework.”
Regarding HOAs, I do think they tend to attract a kind of person who favors authoritarianism or at least doesn’t mind it much in exchange for certain “benefits.”
I have been dismayed to see so many fellow environmentalists, old activists from the 60s etc., choose HOA life. I understand that people want a turnkey home where things don’t break as much. But I wish more people would’ve been willing to choose older homes in the historic areas rather than endure the boot of the HOA. The housing market might be shaped differently if that had happened.
I first noticed it when I moved back from Tokyo in the 90s and was integrating back into USA life, including environmental activist organizations. I was surprised to see so many environmentalists living the suburban “big house and big car” lifestyle, with all that entailed. Probably the reverse culture shock made it stand out more for me.
Of course a lot of people choose HOAs “for the better schools.” Which often is code for “whitey-tightey.” We, white people, have tended to withdraw our presence and secure our own little enclaves rather than work to push for necessary change in the whole system. And I’m talking here about liberal white people!