Since we meet so many cool people at Green Drinks, we decided to start interviewing some of them. For this edition, we talked to Brittany Davey, who moved to Edmonton in 2014 and works at the City of Edmonton as an Ecological Planner. Brittany’s passion for her newfound home really shines through in this interview, which covers everything from her love of dogs to her belief in Edmonton’s potential to become a world leader of social and environmental change.
Our next event is Green Drinks: Farm to Fork on April 5. Hope to see you there!
Hi Brittany! How long have you lived in Edmonton?
It feels like forever but I’ve only been living in Edmonton since 2014.
Was this your first Green Drinks? If so, why did you decide to come? If not, how many have you been to?
I actually can’t count the number of Green Drinks I have been to, which I am happy to report, but I can recall having to miss two over the past year and both leaving me with immense feelings of missing out. I’ve attended and had the opportunity to volunteer at a lot different Green Drinks. It has become a monthly thing I’m always looking forward to.
What were you at Green Drinks to talk to people about? (i.e. what’s your big idea / project / company / interest?)
Usually when I’m at Green Drinks my go to topic of conversation is ecological planning. I could ramble on all day about Edmonton parks, natural areas, and the River Valley.
Who’s the most interesting person you met at Green Drinks? (i.e. who should we interview next?)
I can only choose one? Colin Szenes. The conversation topic on his name tag is always “dogs.”As a fellow dog lover, how can you not be intrigued to indulge in a conversation about dogs?
What do you do for work right now?
I’m currently working as an ecological planner with the City of Edmonton and I love it. Working as an ecological planner provides a lot of diverse experiences that allows me to really feel like I’m a part of building a community. A lot of the work I do is around River Valley planning and working to balance the impacts of development while preserving the natural environment.
Can you tell us one nerdy, quirky or interesting fact about yourself?
Darts. I love playing darts. I just started playing recently and can’t stop.
If you could instantly change one thing about Edmonton, or add something we don’t have, what would it be?
Edmonton is a city that has so much potential. It’s outrageous. We are living in a city where there are major transformational projects on the go that, when they materialize, have the potential to enhance our public realm and completely change our city. Projects like the Valley Line LRT, the development of the Quarters, Alex Decoteau Park, etc… all have so much potential to take our city to the next level. Edmonton is anticipated to grow to 2.1 million people in the next 50 years. Our community keeps getting more diverse and innovative as it grows. These changes are so exciting.
Edmonton is the place where six degrees of separation are constantly tested and Edmontonians are a group of people that truly give a shit and we all work to build our city and improve our communities. The vision I have for Edmonton is to see all this potential materialize. Edmonton can be the place we want to make it. Our City is in its infancy and we have the opportunity to steer it in any direction we choose. We can be the ones to make Edmonton more sustainable, inclusive, and livable. My vision is for Edmonton is to draw upon the great things other cities are doing and to use and foster these ideas by giving them that Edmonton touch. This will help to elevate Edmonton into becoming a leader in social and environmental change while maintaining a strong sense of community and identity.
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