Disapproval is a powerful de-motivator, it's true. You do what you can, and let the rest go till you can get to it.

I think my friends were more defiant, once they got over being hurt that all their careful environmentally sound effort was being ignored--even condemned--for rigid neighborhood conformity. Gravel is theoretically more easily re-converted to productive soil than pavement, though weeds will defy anything. They just didn't want to concede to grass.