Initiative Foundation predicts future at conference

If Erik Peterson's research-based predictions prove true, by the year 2025, world population will swell by 1.4 billion.

Advances in biotechnology could eventually prolong human life by 100 years. Rapidly developing countries like China and India will double demand for food, water, land and energy. And more of the world's top economies will be companies like Wal-Mart.

These and dozens of other Earth-shattering revelations comprise the "seven revolutions," the global trends as predicted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies think-tank in Washington, D.C.

Peterson, CSIS vice president, is the keynote speaker of the Initiative Foundation's future-focused economic development conference 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. April 13 at the St. Cloud Civic Center.

Peterson will deliver his nationally sought-after presentation followed by a Minnesota expert panel discussion. Afternoon breakout sessions will allow leaders and attendees to brainstorm the impacts on central Minnesota.

The Initiative Foundation said it wants to fund cooperative planning projects that may be inspired by the event, especially those that address regional growth issues and preservation of "green space." According to the Minnesota State Demographic Center, central Minnesota's population may increase as much as 40 percent in the next 20 years.

"This isn't science-fiction," Sandy Voigt, event organizer and the foundation's technology finance officer, said in a news release. "We hope it will get people thinking about future planning and how current courses of action will affect central Minnesota in the years to come."

Sponsors of the event include the St. Cloud Area Chamber of Commerce, Brainerd Lakes Area Development Corp., Partners for Strategic Growth, Central Minnesota Jobs and Training Services, Northern Technology Initiative and the Minnesota WorkForce Center.

The attendance fee is $55, which includes lunch and materials. Deadline to register is April 1. For more information, go online to www.ifound.org/7R or contact the Initiative Foundation at (877) 632-9255.