I agree - in general. But . . . some of things you mention are not easily afforded or done by all.
Also, at present, a dollar gets much more when spent on efficiency - than when spent on alternative fuel sources. I don't see much of that being done.
Moaning about the government to fix things - while we do little ourselves on an individual level is just plain stupid.
My home and shop are on a 5400 watt solar-electric grid-tie system that would cost - today - around $55,000. If I didn't do it grid-tie, I'd lose much of the power I make - since there's no way to save it. A battery bank holds a fixed amount of KWHs, and no more. With state and federal incentives, it cost me a little under $20,000. I see it as a long-term, lifetime investment. We make on average twice the electric power every month then we use.
Also have a cabin in the Adirondack mountains that is off-grid 1200 watt solar-electric. Cabin also has solar-passive heat along with wood, and a gravity-feed water system.
At home we heat our hot water, house and barn with all wood in the winter - and hot water is solar heated in summer. All our lights are cheap CFLs.
Wind where I live does not justify the expense. It's usually a waste of money unless you live in a good wind area - and have good way to save excess power made during high wind times. Holland is having a problem with wind-electric storage right now and they are working on a new technology to store excess electricity. Maybe somebody ought to invent a variable-capacity battery system.
My point here is - I've spent years trying to do something on my own. At the same time, there are town meetings ad nauseum about letting big wind power companies - government subsidized - to come in and screw up the landscape - all of which will not result in any savings or long-term gains for people that live around it. And, we get taxed, more and more, to fund the start-up incentive programs. The Adirondack Park makes more electricity by hydro than all the residents use there - yet they are no better off than anyone outside the park - since all the power goes into a common grid.
And, if you really do your best - you can then sit back and watch your taxes go up - to "help" people that do nothing for themselves.
I will also add, I haven't found a good way around fuel prices yet. Biofuel, for the most part is BS and hype. If we had land and a climate for sugar cane, maybe. One answer is - to drive less and/or something as fuel efficient as possible? My wife's 91 diesel Volkswagen gets a best of 50 MPG, and an all-around average of 36 MPG. I don't think you can buy anything new that comes close - and much of the hybrid claims are also BS. Maybe another idea - would be to drive a Stanley Steamer and use wood? Hey, if we all tried it, we'd get arrested for fuel-tax evasion.
Last I read - a modern diesel-electric locomotive carries a indiviual with a calculated fuel mileage of 5000 miles to the gallon. Maybe that ought to tell us it's time to go back to a system that provides commuter trains again in rural areas? Or, maybe back to your suggestion of horses.
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Today's Featured Article - Choosin, Mounting and Using a Bush Hog Type Mower - by Francis Robinson. Looking around at my new neighbors, most of whom are city raised and have recently acquired their first mini-farms of five to fifteen acres and also from reading questions ask at various discussion sites on the web it is frighteningly apparent that a great many guys (and a few gals) are learning by trial and error and mostly error how to use a very dangerous piece of farm equipment. It is also very apparent that these folks are getting a lot of very poor and often very dangerous advice fro
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