No Fridge?

The refrigerator uses a lot of energy, even if it is EnergyStar. The New York Times had an article about people who do not have 'fridges: Fridgeless wonders. Turns out, that is a little misleading. they have a freezer and a cooler, and use bottles filled with ice to keep the cooler cool. They have to shop more and plan more when cooking. It would not really work in rural areas, where the store is a drive away (unless you visit it almost every day anyway).
For really serious energy conservation in the fridge department, Sunfrost makes small, highly insulated fridges. They're meant for off-the-grid, solar power situations (I think there is a propane fridge too). They're pretty pricey.
Another way is to use a smaller fridge ... our fridge at the cottage is of a standard size, and was usually pretty empty, so I am thinking of going with a smaller one, as they use less power than the average sized fridge. The average-sized (18-21 cu ft) fridges use 385-415 Kwh/yr; a 14 or 15 cu ft one uses about 355 Kwh/yr, and a 10.3 cu ft fridge uses 309 Kwh/yr; all of these are Energy Star, top freezer, with no ice maker (the most efficient configuration). Smaller is better, but going without a refrigerator in a rural area could lead to more shopping trips, and a net energy cost.