Engineering types will want to read DIY magazine and other self-op publications. Maybe get a DIY group together in your neighborhood, it will be functional and social. The greenies have a point, high-efficiency house systems and alternative energy structures make financial sense.
I love making things and scrounging, so I can’t put much more of it into my life than I already have (also I live in an apt building so I can’t modify the structure.)
Semi-off-topic but relevant in a self-sufficiency kind of way: one of my favorite websites to waste time on is www.instructables.com, where one can find a how-to on just about anything imaginable, from reloading shells to growing an indoor garden to making furniture. A bit on the leftist/poor-struggling-student side, but a treasure trove of good information.