During World War II in a famous national speech, President Franklin D. Roosevelt said, “We (Americans) have nothing to fear, but fear itself!”

I couldn’t agree more. In these challenging economic/social times it is quite natural and understandable to be uncertain about the future, but scared? Come on!

We Americans have it better than the vast majority of the humans on the planet. The USA is arguably the world’s leader in quality of life (individual freedoms), innovation, etc.

In my considered opinion, the key to our national energy security is in personal responsibility embodied in a concept I am calling “concerted consumerism.”

If one believes that global economic prosperity is driven by consumer spending, then the concerted focus of that spending would provide a sustainable venue for “good” businesses (pro-community) to thrive and “bad” businesses (wanton multi-national corporations) to wither and die, a la Darwin.

Case in point: Why would the most democratic society on Earth choose to be “slaves” to (foreign) fossil fuel? When the real solution rests with our individual decisions to invest and support goods, products and services that extricate us from outside control and manipulation.

As of this writing, any person or business can invest their capital (or credit worthiness) into energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies.

With local community-based financing, positive cash flow is immediate. These renewable electrical systems lock-in utility rates, hedge inflation, “zero-out” net energy consumption over time, and provide the only sustainable way that we the people have at our disposal to leverage our energy investments for the highest perpetual rate of return using the existing grid infrastructure to our advantage all-the-while.

Now for transportation; I can remember waiting in (“odd/even”) gas lines in the 1970s when OPEC came up with their first oil embargo.

At that moment, I realized that we Americans could kick our oil dependency if we had the collective (concerted) will to do so.

I have personally made renewable energy investments in my own building infrastructures and continue to reap benefits everyday. I feel good about doing my part and being mostly energy independent.

But it’s not just me, there are literally thousands of other fellow citizens in California and elsewhere that are also doing it! And guess what, here come the plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles just in time.

With the surplus electricity I generate at my home and business, I am free to charge up my electric VW (HRBEE1). It won’t be much longer until one’s very own solar power plant will not only heat, cool and light home and business, but will also provide the sun fuel for their new electric transportation

(~98 percent Energy-Free).

When we collectively understand that our safe, secure and sustainable future starts today, the days ahead of us will be brighter ones! We have nothing to fear, but we better get started NOW.

Dan “the Solar Man” Felperin lives in Cobb, Calif.