it seems to me that the most important part of considering energy independence is a proper evaluation of energy wants vs energy needs and a reorganization of priorities to accommodate what energy one can maintain independently.
for the most part we have forgotten how to live within our means. to do so with money leaves one in financial debt. to do it with energy and food, i believe, leaves one in a similar situation of debt.
refrigeration is probably the biggest problem. our entire society has come to depend on it. in the past, my family used to buy eggs and dutifully keep them refrigerated. we have since learned that fresh eggs from one's own chickens last far longer that store bought eggs even without refrigeration. which made me realize just how long it takes to get our food from source to store. meat is similar. fresh meat will keep longer in various ways than store bought meats. the trick is harvesting on an as needed basis, which requires one to know this process. i've learned the process for chickens, my wife does pretty good at processing feral hogs. the processes from there are similar, just the scale of the tools and setup may change depending on size.
all of the methods of self sufficiency from the past are rather limited now. I don't think there is any way we could all revert to old ways without completely rearranging where and how we all live.
I am starting to believe the Industrial Revolution hurt us more in the long run than it helped.
