Hahahaha, I honestly really appreciate the effort that goes into a well-manicured lawn and garden, and truly, sitting on a nice lawn is such a pleasure. If rainwater/water was abundant I'd be all for it, but at this point I'd just rather the water and effort go to growing food, plants and pollinator-attracting flowers.
It's kind of ironic that humankind's ability to optimize for agricultural economies of scale might actually harm us all in the long run. Apparently 40% of post-WWII fruit and veg was from home gardens and I think it's very likely we'll end up with similar stats in the future.
You've got the right idea and I am all for it. My grass is back at my other house where I no longer live so it's not as sexy as it used to be, but still turns heads; it's getting bloody difficult to upkeep it though; time constraints. If I had 25 hours a day I'd still not get everything done that's required each day.
Your last paragraph...that's some scary shit but I'm not surprised. Progress doesn't come without cost and (unfortunately for humans) it's a cost we will all pay for a long time to come.