‘My Footprint’ explains why you might see comedian Jeff Garlin on the bus these days

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If you think you see comedian Jeff Garlin riding Santa Monica’s Big Blue Bus No. 3 on Wednesdays, you’re not seeing things; that actually is Garlin.

The stand-up comic, most notably from the HBO series “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” appeared today at the L.A. Times Festival of Books to discuss his new book “My Footprint: Carrying the Weight of the World,” in which he details his struggle to be more environmentally friendly and lose weight at the same time.

And that’s where the bus comes in. Garlin read a few excerpts about his attempt to ride the bus for 30 days in an effort to live a greener lifestyle. His reading of course felt more like a stand-up routine. When a woman tried to quietly sneak out of the session — committing the biggest sin possible against a comedian with a microphone in his hand — Garlin noticed but decided to play it friendly: “Now is the time for questions … or to leave,” he said, pointing. Initially he said he was going to read his book and then answer questions ‘about absolutely anything.’ The audience took his joke a little too seriously, as the first questioner asked him how to get a cheaper subscription to the Los Angeles Times, which prompted Garlin to suggest the “Swedenborg Bookroom Spirituality” booth. Amid escalating laughter, Garlin asked for any last questions, and fellow stand-up comedian Jeffrey Ross rose to ask: “Which person was following his discussion [at the festival]?” Of course, it was Ross, author of ‘I Only Roast the Ones I Love.’

— Joshua Sandoval is a television producer, most recently on “Latino 101.”