Meg Haywood Sullivan began her career capturing heart-stopping moments while surrounded by nature's most breathtaking sights. As a professional snowboarding photographer, her job meant spending time atop stunning peaks around the world.
"The mountains keep everything in perspective," she said. "Mother Nature is powerful. She puts you in your place really quick."
Through that experience, she gained an appreciation for the world's natural beauty. So much so that she eventually pivoted her professional life toward the dual goals of capturing that beauty and protecting it.
"I've dedicated my life to telling stories about the planet and I've dedicated my life to helping protect it," she said.
Today, Sullivan uses her photography to tell environmentally-minded stories and advocate for protecting the planet. She is also a global ambassador for the Surfrider foundation, a nonprofit committed to protecting the ocean.
But her advocacy isn't always as glamorous as a sprawling landscape of a shimmering mountain vista. Sullivan also gets down and dirty to help the planet. She can frequently be spotted on the beach near her home in Venice, scooping up paper cups and plastic straws. It's all part of her lifelong mission to protect the environment in any way she can.
"I think as individuals it's hard to realize that we actually can make a difference, but collectively all of our efforts really can," she said. "The first thing to do though is to just take the first step."
