Since burning dead wood just recycles the CO2, Sorcha - it's a renewable energy source - unlike oil or natural gas. Burning hemp would probably be environmentally better, since it grows faster, but you might have a few problems with that, especially given your husband's job...

The real answer to driving is going to be electrical vehicles, with the power coming from renewable sources, like sun, wind and straw. And methane from cowshit and so forth.

Some shops are going back to home delivery for groceries and such, both for stuff you buy in person and internet shopping, which makes for a lot fewer journeys. But the social arrangements to make that convenient for people who can't stick around for the deliveries still need working out. (I'd have thought something like a very large mailbox with a key system would be an answer.)

One technical gimmick that I really think could help would be a prminent meter in every car showing you how much fuel you were using at any time (and the cost) - like yiounhave in taxis here. Because when you slow down a litle and drive more carefully, it's amazing how the mileage-per-gallon improves. That was brought home to me during the fuel crisis we had a few months ago, when I found I was able to make a tank of petrol last far longer than I had believed possible.