April 8, 2010

Dear Friend:

On Tuesday, May 18, the Albany Roundtable will commemorate 31 years of

providing a vital forum for civic engagement as we welcome author, blogger and
environmentalist Colin Beavan as visiting speaker at our 2010 Annual Meeting.

The reception will take place from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. at the University Club of
Albany, and will feature a social hour with cocktails and hors d’oeuvres, a short
update on the Albany Roundtable Civic Luncheon Series and a presentation by
our visiting speaker.

I’m writing to invite you to become a member of the Honorary Committee.

We are delighted to welcome Colin Beavan, author of No Impact Man (Farrar,

Straus & Giroux, September 2009). Beavan describe himself as an author who
“got tired of listening to himself complain about the world without ever actually
doing anything about it.” Thus, in November, 2006, Beavan launched a year-long
project in which he, his wife, his two-year-old daughter and his four-year-old dog
went off the grid and attempted to live in the middle of New York City with as
little environmental impact as possible.

Beavan has a Ph D in electronic engineering from the University of Liverpool. He

spent several years as a consultant to philanthropic organizations such as social
housing providers, drug treatment agencies and hospitals. He is director of the No
Impact Project, a visiting scholar at New York University, an advisor to the
University’s Sustainability Task Force, and sits on the board of directors of New
York City’s Transportation Alternatives and on the advisory council of Just Food.

The Albany Roundtable endorsed the ideals of new urbanism and sustainability
long before these were common buzzwords. Previous Visiting Speakers have
included Jaime Correa (planner, architect and professor at the University of
Miami); Stan Eckstut (NYC architect, Battery City Project); Tony Hiss (Project
for Public Spaces); Robert McNulty (Partners for Livable Places); Paul Pritchard
(National Parks and Conservation Association); Richard Bradley (proponent of
Downtown business districts); Ray Oldenburg (The Great Good Place); James
Howard Kunstler (author and new urbanist); Jane Holtz Kay (architecture critic,
author of Asphalt Nation); Joseph P. Riley (Mayor, Charleston, South Carolina);
Richard Reinhart (Buffalo Place); and others.
We know that springtime in the Capital District provides many opportunities to
support worthy community endeavors. Still, we hope that you will agree that the
Albany Roundtable – an all-volunteer not-for-profit corporation – provides a
unique opportunity for civic discourse by presenting speakers with diverse points
of view on timely subjects.

The Albany Roundtable’s civic luncheons are open to the public and typically
attract a range of people active in business, the arts, not-for-profits, governments,
neighborhoods and other urban activities.

Please use the enclosed form to show us that you value the Albany Roundtable,
and the role that it plays in engaging a wide variety of people in the business of
envisioning our future!

I urge you to respond by Monday, April 12 so we can list your name on the
invitation, and we hope that you will join us on May 18.

Sincerely,

/signed/

Colleen M. Ryan
President, Albany Roundtable

PS: If you, your business or organization would like to help defray the cost of
bringing Mr. Beavan here and other associated expenses of the event, please call
me directly at 518-428-9348. I would be happy to discuss the considerations you
will receive, including placement of you logo on the invitation and in the
program; links to your website in emails and on our blog; and/or a reserved
Named table at the event.