Thank you for a valuable post and for the interesting links provided. I am sure you are right that much value comes from individuals pursuing their passion for EA in their own time.  

My experience has been that the  time available for independent intellectual or altruistic pursuits varies over a lifetime.  When demands from children and career peak, it is hard, but  I recommend keeping jotting down ideas, using commuting time for reading or listening and trying to stop work absorbing all your thinking capacity.  Later, career changes or (as in my case) early retirement can provide slack and the opportunity to do more.