Birds, Senior Citizens and a Tsunami of an Economy

Before taking any Permaculture classes I took on a project in our condo to be more "green".  Besides our place in Mexico, we also have a very small backyard in a lovely, semi-rural part of Renton, WA.  We live in a condo and have done a few things in the yard to be more earth conscious.  For example, to reduce the need for lawn mowing, we tore out the grass (with the permission of the association of course) and put in bricks.  We planted along the outer edge of the brick patio and put in bushes, small trees and other foliage that attract birds, insects and add to the aesthetics.  The yard is half shaded most of the day and is not the best candidate for growing food, however, we manage to cultivate a variety of fresh herbs and the occasional vegetable when the Pacific Northwest sun grants us favor.  We especially love the bird songs.  

Now I am inspired to influence the rest of the association to "green" up the remainder of the grounds.  One of my pet peeves is the ivy.  Years back, a decision was made to plant English Ivy in every possible corner of the land.  A horrid mistake as now it's everywhere, requires a great amount of trimming maintenance and harbors rats.  Icky pest.  Association costs are rising to maintain grass that we never step on, sprinkler systems that would not be needed if there were no grass and too many chemicals are used as well.  Main challenges have been Senior Citizens who happen to love grass they never step on and English Ivy.  

A new outlook:  In the spirit of working with I am proposing a great reduction in cost (always a great idea but especially relevant in today's sobering economic situation) by removal of ivy and grass and allowing the sprinkler system to go dormant.  Wish me well.  Maybe, just maybe we could get a pea patch going  also.  I have my eye on a sunny patch of ground that would make a fantastic garden area and it's close to all of us; Zone 1-2.