Another very good idea to become energy-independant that I'm surprised doesn't get any real press is for our culture to make better/smarter use of the Internet. If a person doesn't have to drive to work every day - if children didn't have to ride to school every day - I bet we could cut our fuel costs by 60%. It would also go a long way towards immunizing us not only from the threat of terrorism, but from the common cold as well!
Not to mention that telecommuting and homeschooling via the internet could bring families closer together.