As far as energy is concerned, go look up "peak oil" on the web, or find a copy of National Geographic from June 2004, cover story "The End of Cheap Oil." Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, folks, but according to the best available estimates, world oil production is going to reach its maximum in a few years and then level off and decline. Think of "the 1970s gas crisis on steroids, with compound interest, forever." The bottom line here is, there is no way the world can possibly make up for what it's about to lose as oil production plateaus and declines. However we can certainly try.
This means a massive effort to develop non-fossil energy resources, starting ten years ago, but starting now is better than never. Starting with major construction of nuclear reactors and utility-scale wind installations, and light rail, and numerous other engineering projects. It means quadrupling the fuel efficiency of automobiles, and replacing commuting with telecommuting wherever possible. (You'll still be able to keep your 50s Caddy and take it for a cruise from time to time, but for day-to-day tasks you'll probably use a plug-in diesel hybrid that runs on, yep you guessed it, vegetable oil for longer trips.)
Those of us who appreciate the value of electricity should be supporting every nuclear and wind and solar project that comes along. Including going to the public hearings and speaking on the record, to counteract the influence of NIMBYs and "views-first" types who are scared of nuclear reactors or don't want to look at wind turbines on the horizon.
But in any case, comes the issue of energy efficiency in appliances.
For fridges the simple solution is to mount the compressor and radiator on the top (so the heat rises away from the cabinet, rather than radiating into the back of the cabinet), and increase the amount of insulation, and do away with the "frost free" nonsense. See also
www.sunfrost.com, and realize that there is no reason why every major manufacturer can't do likewise if they choose.
After the fridge comes the dryer.
I agree about the joys of outdoor clothes lines; they make neighborhoods look like someone lives there! But if you can't do that, then: a) Centrifugal extractors. Spin-X or equivalent. Or the spin-tub in twin-tub washers. Any of these reduce dryer-time from one-third to one-half. b) Indoor clothes line overnight, and then into the dryer the next day to get the last of the dampness out. Reduces dryer time to even less, i.e. as little as 15 minutes.
Power consumption by washers is far less significant than dryers or fridges, unless you use the water heating cycle (and in many places, a solar hot water system will give you all the piping-hot water you could ever want).
However, I've seen a few threads on this board that say essentially, "hey, we're appliance geeks, we can invent a better washer." Excellent, let's do it. Let's come up with something that cleans better, uses less power, isn't boring to watch, and embodies the best mid-20th-century style. Maybe it can even be sold to a manufacturer, who can patent it and put it into production. It's worth a try.
Where I work we say "good technicians don't blame, they fix." Blame is a waste of time; getting stuck at the "angry about a problem" stage is a waste of effort. It's far more satisfying and productive to focus on fixing things and inventing.
