> Also look at the micro level, and you
> will find in general that much more investment in energy efficiency
> occurs in response to regulation and public investment than in
> response to price increases.
The recent, and rapid change in residential use, from incandescent lighting to miniature fluorescent suggests, however, that availability of alternative technology can have substantial impact.
I'd also like to observe that though you use the term 'micro', this list discussion revolves around macro solutions - top down administration of behavior modification. It would be interesting to toss around some ideas that suggest how local activism could be applied to activate local solutions for the problems associated with environmental degradation. For example, I have a creek that borders my yard on one side, and during the rainy season here in Oregon it rages. A local solution might involve developing a method to tap some of the energy from the creek to apply to local use. It'd be an interesting project. And on a local level, some of the disastrous effects of macro scale tapping of hydro power (dams and reservoirs) would be avoided, or applied as negative learning experiences.
Martin