Daylight Design at the Green Festival

The Green Festival was fantastic! It took us most of Friday to get the Sunstations, plants, and display materials packed up and hauled to the DC Convention Center and then get everything set up. Starting Saturday morning, it was pretty much non-stop traffic through the booth for the two days. By Saturday night we both had sore throats from talking so much. People were drawn to the booth by the beautiful eggplants we were growing under lights. A common comment was "is it real?" (One woman kept insisting they could not be.)

There was so much interest, including from a couple of educators who could see the benefit of having our grow light system in classrooms, and someone who thought they'd be good in a friend's coffee house. Lots of condo or apartment dweller loved the idea of being able to grow some vegetables indoors. The local news filmed some footage, and Voice of America interviewed us! (They said we'd hear  back from them when it's going to air - we'll see if it actually happens.)

I wish I'd had more time to view the whole show. There were lots of interesting booths, and I made it to a few, but didn't really have time to walk the floor, nor to see some of the outstanding speakers.  I've enjoyed previous Green Festivals as an attendee. Last year's festival seemed so cramped that it was hard to see a lot, but this year the layout was better and I think there was more space. People who go to Green Festivals are such a neat crowd - wanting to do the right thing, interested in innovation, and very friendly, and we had so much fun talking to them.

I can't imagine how it must have felt to John to hear over and over things like - how ingenious; great idea; so simple; great design. Any doubts I had about whether this was worth all the hours of our evenings and weekends he has spent to follow his dream are gone. I'm so proud of him!