.bodytext {float: left; } .floatimg-left-hort { float:left; margin-top:10px; margin-right: 10px; width:300px; clear:left;} .floatimg-left-caption-hort { float:left; margin-bottom:10px; width:300px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} .floatimg-left-vert { float:left; margin-top:10px; margin-right:15px; width:200px;} .floatimg-left-caption-vert { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; font-size: 10px; width:200px;} .floatimg-right-hort { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 300px;} .floatimg-right-caption-hort { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 300px; font-size: 10px; } .floatimg-right-vert { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px;} .floatimg-right-caption-vert { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px; font-size: 10px; } .floatimgright-sidebar { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px; border-top-style: double; border-top-color: black; border-bottom-style: double; border-bottom-color: black;} .floatimgright-sidebar p { line-height: 115%; text-indent: 10px; } .floatimgright-sidebar h4 { font-variant:small-caps; } .pullquote { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 150px; background: url(http://www.dmbusinessdaily.com/DAILY/editorial/extras/closequote.gif) no-repeat bottom right !important ; line-height: 150%; font-size: 125%; border-top: 1px solid; border-bottom: 1px solid;} .floatvidleft { float:left; margin-bottom:10px; width:325px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} .floatvidright { float:right; margin-bottom:10px; width:325px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} It sounds like something that would be great to host in Des Moines, but “Renewable on Parade” will take place at Riverside Casino and Golf Resort south of Iowa City and the Washington County Fairgrounds.

Wendy Gady, a prime organizer of the event, was in town last week to talk it up, and it would be great to have her operating in Central Iowa, too. Her passion for renewable energy and for Iowa is clear to see, and it spurred her to help line up an impressive list of speakers for the Sept. 21-23 event. They include U.S. Undersecretary of Agriculture Thomas Dorr, former Archer-Daniels-Midland Co. executive Martin Andreas, former CIA Director R. James Woolsey and Iowa Farm Bureau Federation President Craig Lang.

Also, the three state universities, all of Iowa’s community colleges and Purdue University are taking part, along with more than 50 business people and academics who will discuss renewable energy from every conceivable angle.

The organizers contacted 1,000 venture capitalists across the country, more than 10,000 farmers and all of the operating ethanol and biodiesel plants, Gady said. Big companies came aboard as sponsors.

Gady’s vision is that attendees from all over will get a firsthand look at Iowa, Iowans will make connections with entrepreneurs and venture capitalists, and new ideas for energy projects will form.

Gady operates a business development company, Pohaku Inc., in Washington, Iowa. For the past four months she has been traveling around the state, speaking to service organizations and media people. It’s a laborious process, but you never know what might result.

She wants projects to come out of this, but she doesn’t want those projects to go elsewhere. They will if Iowa’s serious energy entrepreneurs aren’t on hand to make the right contacts and get their share of the action.

If you’re in that group, go to www.renewableonparade.com for more information about the event.