The average American draws energy from several different sources in their combined household and travel consumption, equivalent to the energy from 952 gallons of gasoline per year.   According to the EPA, the resulting footprint of CO2 emitted per year equals 9.44 tons per person.   In the Mad River Valley for example, based on 2600 households and 6,100 residents, this equates to 2,240 gallons of gasoline and 22.2 tons of CO2 annually.   If every MRV household reduced its annual energy usage (and thereby CO2 emissions) by 10%, each household would save about $694 (based on $3.10 for a gallon of gas). This would reduce the annual carbon footprint of the valley by 1,588,400 pounds and put an extra $1,811,340 in the pockets of local residents annually.   To not do anything at all about our carbon emissions here in the Valley could well result in major losses to our tourism economy, our sugaring potential, and other climate-related implications affecting our local food supply and future lives here. The solution that Carbon Shredders proposes is to start saving and reducing now.