By Michael S. RosenwaldWashington Post Staff Writer

Monday, October 16, 2006 

Source

Keith Ware dressed naturally to set up his booth at the Green Festival. He wore an organic cotton hooded jacket, organic cotton blue jeans and organic hemp work boots, the soles of which are made from recycled surgical gloves. He was not, however, wearing his organic cotton underwear.

"That's not to say I don't own some," he said.

Ware is one of the owners of Eco-Green Living, a Logan Circle store that sells organic and fair-trade products such as teas, hemp boots and even the makeshift floor he was setting up, which was made from Marmoleum -- a combination of linseed oil, wood flour, rosin, jute and limestone. He was an exhibitor over the weekend at the Green Festival, which drew crowds of people to the Washington Convention Center to celebrate light bulbs that last 60,000 hours, investment funds targeting socially responsible companies and paper made from elephant dung by a company called Mr. Ellie Pooh.

The show, the third in the District, grew from 250 exhibitors in the first year to more than 350. Although some exhibitors were selling products, the chief intention of the show was to develop the industry by connecting the principles and products of green businesses with mainstream customers.