Bridging the Divide Through Shared Humanity
For Meagan Breidert, the journey to becoming a global champion of environmental stewardship began far from the corporate boardrooms of Seattle or Washington, D.C. Early in her career, while working with international development clients for PwC in Jamaica, she witnessed firsthand the profound vulnerability of island communities facing the raw power of climate change. It was there, amidst regional initiatives to build resilient infrastructure and protect lives from rising tides, that her lifelong passion was ignited. Today, as the Senior Director of Sustainability and Impact at Slalom, Breidert channels this foundational experience into coordinating internal climate programs and nurturing deep community connections. Her philosophy is simple yet revolutionary: to move the needle on environmental action, we must transcend political division by returning to the basic, shared human desires that unite us all—clean air to breathe, pure water to drink, and a toxic-free world where our children can safely grow.
Finding Hope in the Progress of the Green Economy
In an era dominated by stressful headlines, keeping despair at bay requires a deliberate shift in perspective. To maintain her optimism, Breidert turns to the wisdom of Christiana Figueres, the renowned architect of the Paris Agreement, by intentionally choosing to focus on positive “signals” rather than the surrounding “noise.” Across the globe, economic incentives are aligning with ecological necessities in unprecedented ways. The rapid expansion of affordable renewable energy is no longer just an environmental triumph but a superior financial decision that lowers utility bills, improves public health, and creates millions of sustainable green jobs. By concentrating on these tangible advancements, Breidert finds the daily motivation needed to drive corporate responsibility, proving that doing good for the Earth is intrinsically linked to prosperity.
Leading by Example in Everyday Life
Breidert’s dedication to a sustainable future is not confined to her corporate duties; it is deeply woven into the fabric of her household. Recognizing that individual choices form the bedrock of collective cultural shifts, her family has traded fossil fuels for solar panels, successfully covering their entire domestic energy footprint while significantly lowering utility costs. In her kitchen, single-use plastics have been replaced with durable glass, and her family’s wardrobes are mindfully curated around natural fibers, secondhand treasures, and vintage pieces. Even the family dinner table reflects this conscious ethos, emphasizing a plant-forward diet rich in protein-dense beans and tofu. Through these practical, daily habits, she demonstrates that living regeneratively is both achievable and deeply fulfilling.
A Vision to Conquering the Footprint of Plastic
If gifted a magic wand to immediately solve one global environmental crisis, Breidert would instantly deploy scalable, commercial alternatives to single-use plastics. At Slalom, she has proactively spearheaded initiatives to eliminate problematic plastics from offices, break rooms, and kitchens. Yet, her concern runs deeper, recognizing plastic pollution as a highly visible, demoralizing epidemic that people confront daily on local beaches and city streets alike. She envisions a near future where advanced scientific breakthroughs—such as plastic-eating enzymes, specialized fungi, and robust packaging crafted from organic materials like seaweed and sugarcane—can seamlessly enter the market to replace petroleum-based materials, restoring natural landscapes to their pristine states.
Securing the Future of Global Agriculture
When pondering the future of our global food supply, Breidert’s thoughts often turn to the complex, delicate ecosystems that yield our most beloved daily comforts: coffee, chocolate, and vanilla. She expresses a keen desire to sit down with industry leaders, such as Mars’ Chief Sustainability Officer Alastair Child, to discuss the urgent protection of tropical supply chains. Because these prized crops grow in equatorial regions disproportionately vulnerable to extreme weather, securing their future demands deep collaboration with local and Indigenous farmers who possess generations of traditional agricultural wisdom. For Breidert, safeguarding these commodities is not just about protecting our morning routines; it is about ensuring economic justice and climate resilience for the vulnerable farming communities feeding the world.
Systemic Progress Through Incremental Victories
Confronting systemic global crises can easily become overwhelming, but Breidert’s approach is defined by steady, incremental progress and a celebration of small victories. By breaking massive corporate challenges down to data points and building relationships vendor by vendor, her team turns monumental goals into manageable tasks. Ultimately, she envisions a world twenty years from now where sustainability departments no longer have to perpetually justify their financial existence. She looks forward to a future where ecological health is automatically integrated into every business decision as a standard, non-negotiable metric. Once sustainability is fully woven into the DNA of global commerce, the world will finally unlock the transformative gains necessary to preserve our planet for generations to come.
