Greg Woith from Counseling & Family Services sent me this e-mail today (emphasis mine):

CJ: I can offer free tickets to the first 10 people who request them and say they saw it on your blog! This conference will address many of the kinds of issues that you discuss.

That’s a nice offer — nice enough that I’ll be happy to provide some free advertising for the event. 🙂

PEORIA-April 12, 2007-One of the world’s “top management gurus”, Peter Senge, will be the keynote speaker at a conference in Peoria May 1 that will focus on building a healthy environment, healthy communities and healthy families.

The event, led by Counseling & Family Services, is a multi-sector collaboration between business, government and civil society to introduce the concept of sustainable development in the Peoria area. Panelists and speakers representing Fortune Magazine, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Peoria’s City Council, World Wildlife Fund, Caterpillar Inc. and more will discuss how we can best prepare for the future of our community using the concept of sustainable development.

Sustainable development is the process of balancing of the environment, economy and social responsibility to improve the quality of life for residents now and into the future.

“Building a Healthy, Sustainable Community: Planet, Places, People” will be held May 1 in the new ballroom at the Peoria Civic Center from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Admission is $20 for non-students and $10 for students. Tickets can be purchased by contacting Counseling & Family Services at 676-2400.

They keynote speaker is Dr. Peter Senge, author of the widely acclaimed “The Fifth Discipline.” Dr. Senge, based at M.I.T., lectures extensively around the world. He stresses that vision, purpose, reflectiveness and systems thinking are essential if organizations are to realize their potentials. The Journal of Business Strategy named Senge one of the 24 people who have had the greatest influence on business strategy over the last 100 years. The Financial Times and Business Week both named him one of the world’s “top management gurus.”

Marc Gunther, a senior writer for Fortune Magazine, columnist for CNNMoney.com and author, will moderate a panel of local thought leaders to discuss sustainable development and how this important concept relates to the planet, people and the Peoria area. He is a gifted moderator who has appeared on NBC, ABC, PBS, CNN and NPR.

“It is critical that we recognize the interdependence of the environment, economy, and social responsibility,” said Doug Allan, executive director of Counseling & Family Services. “We are in the business of helping people overcome problems and improve their quality of life, and ultimately the quality of life in our communities. It is important for us to take a leadership role in bringing the community together to explore ways to sustain our environment, our businesses and our people.”

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Greg Woith
Resource Development Director
Counseling & Family Services
309 676-2400

Sounds like an interesting event. I like to watch things like this on C-SPAN. It would be pretty cool to attend one live. Good luck snagging one of those ten free tickets (remember to tell them you saw it on the Peoria Chronicle)! Thanks to Greg Woith for the offer.