Raining on Her Own Parade

Yesterday's performers on the Mall included actor Edward Norton and O.A.R., a band with Rockville roots.

"I'm little, and it's hard to see over everybody's umbrella, but it's fun," 7-year-old Maya Friedson said as she tried to watch former American Idol finalist Blake Lewis sing a beat-box version of "America the Beautiful." Maya and her family came from New York City for the festivities.

There were lots of products being promoted that were said to be friendly to the environment, including laundry detergent and solar panels.

Perhaps the busiest booth promoted a product called Blade, a device that attaches to the tailpipe of a car or light truck and, its developers said, will reduce the emission of greenhouse gases while increasing fuel efficiency.

"It's great to plant a tree to offset your CO2output, but it's better to reduce your output and then plant the tree," said Bill O'Brien, chief executive of Sabertec, the Austin-based company that developed the device. He said the device has been independently tested according to federal testing protocols and has the potential to help reduce air pollution worldwide.

"Does this really work?" Benji Vega asked as he looked through the Blade literature. "I have a '91 BMW. Will it improve my gas mileage?"

Skip Hansen, Sabertec's chief technician, promised it would.

Amid informational booths sponsored by giant entities such as Google and Starbucks, small organizations worked to deliver their messages.

The Chesapeake Climate Action Network set up a display to drum up interest in its battle against the construction of a coal plant in Wise County, Va.

"We're the little guys, and this helps bring some name recognition -- and hopefully support in the fight," said Paul Burman, an organizer from Northern Virginia.