The thought of being part of the St. Patrick’s Day Parade as a walking advocate, was exhilarating until I reached my spot in the parade and found that I was in line behind monster truck and an idling red Shelby mustang!

I voiced my disappointment to several of the organizers but, it was too late to change my position in the parade line up. I accepted the fact that the luck of the Irish wasn’t quite with me and there was little I could do, so I walked s-l-o-w-l-y. I kept as far back as I possibly could from the mustang in front of us, so that my daughters and the other parents and children who participated with me did not have to breathe in the car emissions... the parade may have run a bit longer than expected this year! :)

I was ecstatic that  my husband Toby passed up ‘Great Waves’ to join me in the parade. He is a bonafied California surfer dude, even if he was born and raised in England!

My mother who is visiting from Toronto, Canada also joined in. There were a few technical issues with putting the duo moss stroller together, so we had fun decorating our chilli stroller green instead! Teah and Skye handed out treats to the crowd and enjoyed being walking ambassadors, waving to their friends on the sideline.

As we walked in the parade there were three announcer stations set up, and we were introduced with a 75-word description I wrote, that read over a loud speaker. Very exciting! The description was... “‘Stop Talking, Start Walking’ is a foundation dedicated to making the South Bay a greener community, one step at a time. Their aim is to enroll the South Bay to get out of our cars and walk more, in order to leave our green print behind, not our car emissions. They have many initiatives planned for the year ahead with a strong focus on our schools and local business’. It’s time to get out of your car and live a life without limit!"

All in all, it was a wonderful day and I enjoyed yet another opportunity to enroll my community to “Stop Talking, Start Walking”!

* My ‘Stop Talking, Start Walking’ tee shirts were designed by me and were screen printed by Jol Designs Inc, a local screen printer in Hermosa Beach. He is a huge supporter of Going Green and is launching an Eco-Friendly surf and skate line called Modern Army. Supporting our local business’ is key to having a community that works together.

Green Tip: If you leave your car at home two days a week, you'll reduce CO2 emissions by 1,590 pounds a year!