8 minute read
Clear Group International
The luxury of making a difference began early for Joyce Clear. The daughter of a Naval commander whose love of sea, duty to country and respect for both are an integral part of her own DNA, she grew up with the wind at her back, the sea at her feet and her prospects for healthy living wide open as she spent summers yachting off Montauk, Long Island, with her family. The ocean was her playground, nature her mentor. Her days were filled with the kind of National Geographic moments she watched on TV every Sunday with her parents during rare moments indoors. As a child, she reveled in the wonder and beauty of the oceans that have sustained life since the beginning of time. She still does.
Her dreams of the future, then and now, manifest with her determination to make a difference through her work and keep her beloved oceans as life giving as they were meant to be. Her vision is inextricably entwined with the beliefs and bounty she was weaned on, only on a global scale. She graduated from University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and later studied at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark as well as The Art Institute. Her first job took her to Wall Street, then out into the world where her love of travel and design rekindled her passion for creative pursuits and conservation and ultimately launched the interconnected ventures she captains today.
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That’s where we caught up with her, curious about her quest for Sustainable Luxury™, the signature trademark for the innovative lifestyle solutions she champions, and onboard with her alliance with the International Well Building Institute and their WELL Building Standard®, the world’s first evidence-based system that “places human health, well-being and performance at the center of design.”
Joyce’s company, Clear Group International, specializes in full service interior design for land and sea, taking a holistic approach to incorporating innovation with sustainability at every level. Her firm’s priorities of building in wellness, sustainability and quality in every project are non-negotiable. She founded Ports of Cause, a
501(C) (3) non-profit organization “to promote, inspire and accelerate sustainable, forward thinking solutions for the health of our oceans.” Through Ports of Cause, she dives deeper into the yachting world by integrating public outreach, educational initiatives and memberships with exclusive events, summits and think-tank forums focused on sustainable solutions, leadership and transference. Both of her ventures are uniquely dedicated to creating awareness and engendering a positive outcome for the interconnected health of our oceans and ourselves.
“Everything we do is aimed at creating spaces that nourish the overall health of our clients and the world we live in,” Joyce explained. “Our goal is to incorporate solutions-oriented, evidence-based, biomimicry-inspired design elements into our work to minimize the impact modern-day lifestyles have on our natural environment. Living is a luxury we shouldn’t take for granted,” she said, “and the disposable society we live in today is threatening the health and well-being of our planet as well as ourselves.
She told us about sailing to uncharted, uninhabited islands well off the beaten path, and stepping off the boat onto beaches littered in plastic from across the world. That great garbage patch that’s swirling around in the Pacific Ocean? It’s reported to be three times the size of France, two to three times the size of Texas, with a core of plastic debris that boggles the mind as it strangles marine life and contaminates our food source. While plastic pollution is visible and trackable, other forms of toxicity commonly used in interiors of cars, boats, homes and offices, like chemical based paints, adhesives, flame retardants, finishes and more, are not. They are not only contaminating the resources we need to survive and thrive for the long term, they are eliminating them.
What’s the solution? Sustainability. And what does that mean? Quality, abundance, health, timelessness, innovation, endurance, balance, profitability, responsibility. Oddly enough, these characteristics align perfectly with the values that luxury brands stand for, mirroring the underlying goals of sustainability and social responsibility. Think about those expensive Chanel bags that cost thousands but last lifetimes. Made of the finest materials and workmanship, they are legacy products that are designed as durable investment pieces that can be proudly passed from generation to generation without losing their usefulness. They preserve and protect resources, reduce waste and hold their value for the long-term. They are the epitome of product sustainability, an end goal that we should strive for as well. You won’t find a Chanel bag floating out with the trash in our oceans, she said, summing it up with her mantra, “Sustainability is the ultimate level of luxury.”
Changing behaviors is another. Fresh air, clean water, organic food and natural materials, once abundantly and solely available, are now considered the luxuries of life. The advent of cheaper single use plastics, synthetic materials and chemically altered products, touted to be life-changing when they were introduced to mainstream consumers in
the 1950s, have also irreparably impacted lives for every furred, finned,feathered, two- and four-footed animal on Earth.
“Even the manmade environments we live in are potentially toxic,from the materials used to build them to the surfaces these materialsare treated with. Anything we breathe or touch goes into our bodiesone way or another,” she said, adding that our skin is like a giantsponge that soaks up the good and the bad. “People need to beaware of the dangers they are exposed to and the steps they can taketo mitigate and prevent the damage.”
Joyce and her team at Clear Group specialize in offering theirclients’ best quality, best practice design solutions for their living spaces,whether for a custom multi-million-dollar yacht build, luxury hospitalityand commercial projects or high-end residences. “We are committed toincorporating healing and wellness into every space we create,” she says.
Aboard the yachts she designs, builds and refits, you’ll find oceanfriendlyapplications and technologies that include built in systemsfor pollution control and operational efficiencies, from water use, airfiltration, energy generation and propulsion to emissions, acoustics and
more. You’ll discover customized phase changing materials utilized for maximized thermal management solutions; interior wall, chair, window and furniture coverings, organically sourced and nature made, including mushroom cap leather, bamboo and cork; zero VOC paints; high efficiency LED lighting intuitively controlled by movement; and surfaces which address contaminants with user-friendly, never toxic solutions.
Residential and commercial properties receive the same thoughtful technologies and materials use consideration in their homes so that they too can benefit from methodologies that cater to their health and wellbeing. They include systems that monitor the quality of the air and water, provide comfort for body and the mind, align with circadian rhythms, reduce stress and noise levels, and employ renewable energy sources for heating and cooling.
Whether on land or sea, domestically in the US or internationally in places like Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines where she is opening new offices and overseeing new builds, Joyce thrives on developing and implementing all encompassing solutions people need to make their lives better and the planet healthier. Her mission
is to find the best way to achieve sustainability goals without compromising the integrity of the project or the environment, no matter how difficult the task or how much resistance she faces doing it.
“It’s about redefining sustainability -- about being a part of a new kind of economy that is driven by innovation and excellence because of the need to preserve the resources this planet provides in order to continue to enjoy the lifestyles we have become accustomed.
With sustainability, the politics, the quality of life and economics all win out in the end. If you think of all the tangible as well as emotional costs associated with pollution, waste removal, chemical toxins, clean up, health care, loss of natural resources and more, the figures and losses are staggering. By incorporating responsible eco-conscious solutions into the way we live, work and play, we can turn the tides in our favor once again.
Joyce has charted a course for change that starts at the top, aboard yachts, inside commercial and hospitality projects, and inside luxury homes, with people in a position to affect change. Through her design work and her Ports of Cause outreach, she is inviting others to take a leading role in protecting and preserving the oceans that provide us with food, medicine, oxygen, protection, enjoyment and so much more.
“The yachting and luxury industries have amazing resources, brain power and influence. By coming together as a unified industry - as leaders in the sustainable revolution and Blue Economy - we can make a difference and care for the one thing that cares for us... our oceans.” As Joyce says, our lives depend on it. The time is now. ¨
For more information, visit www.portsofcause.net and www. clearyachtinteriors.com
Written by Cindy Clarke
