We had the good fortune of connecting with Susan Chadwick and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Susan, maybe we can start at the very start – the idea – how did you come up with the idea for your business?
I had just moved back to my native Houston from France and a group of friends who were also environmentalists asked me to help publicize opposition to a project that would have stripped and bulldozed one of the last remaining forested and publicly-accessible stretches of Buffalo Bayou flowing past our great Memorial Park in Houston. So we started Save Buffalo Bayou and set up a website and Facebook page.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I have been a writer and a journalist my entire life. I was fortunate in that I had an excellent education, free of debt, and grew up with many privileges, including playing on Buffalo Bayou and knowing influential people.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
That would probably be walks in the woods of Memorial Park on Buffalo Bayou, in Sam Houston National Forest and Brazos Bend State Park. We would definitely eat oysters, crawfish, and gumbo, as well as visit some of the many great Vietnamese, South African, Middle Eastern, French, Spanish, Mexican, barbecue and hamburger joints, cheese and bread shops, and other marvelous restaurants in Houston. We would visit the farmers’ market and make a wonderful meal of wild game and local produce.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
This shoutout should be dedicated to Frank Smith Jr., soon to have his 100th birthday, who has devoted much of his adult life to creating and protecting public parks and streams in Texas.

Website: www.SaveBuffaloBayou.org

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SaveBuffaloBayou

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2U3aD4jQYmFnviW8vdDstw

Image Credits
Photo of Buffalo Bayou in Houston, Texas, by Jim Olive. Photo of Susan Chadwick on Buffalo Bayou in Houston by Jim Olive.

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