During the early months of the pandemic shutdown and “no sail” orders, Landry & Kling saw an opportunity to become a catalyst for positive change. We wanted to address another pressing issue – the cruise industry’s growing role in protecting our oceans, preserving our environment, and promoting sustainable practices both onboard and ashore. In May 2020, the company forged ahead with a soft launch of SustainableShips.com, a forum for the “greening of the cruise industry”. 

The site’s popular interview series The Future of Cruising is hosted by our CEO Joyce Landry and features special guests from cruise lines and destinations who are leading the way in the sustainable travel movement. The livecast series has grown in popularity as responsible travelers and group travel planners are eager to learn more about safe, sustainable cruising post-COVID.

For our holiday 2020 episode, we decided to turn the tables and so the interviewer became the interviewee. In Episode 8: The Holiday Special, Joyce Landry, CEO of Landry & Kling, and founder of Sustainable Ships, is interviewed by Cherie Weinstein, Project Manager at Landy & Kling.

Here are some highlights of their interview

Genesis of Joyce’s passion for environmental sustainability

Growing up with parents who lived through the “Great Depression”, Joyce was taught at an early age to recycle water and turn off lights. This instilled the practice of not wasting resources. Fast forward to 2005, when Joyce traveled to California for a course on sustainability & solar power for women. She returned to Miami with a renewed commitment to protect and preserve our environment.

Launching SustainableShips.com

What was the driving factor behind SustainableShips.com? Joyce felt a disconnect between her private life as an environmentalist and her professional/public life invested in the cruise industry. When COVID halted cruising, Joyce became aware that the oceans were cleaner. She decided to become a mouthpiece to explain sustainability, support cruise lines in their sustainability efforts, and educate travelers.

How can Landry & Kling become more sustainable?

Joyce is taking a serious look at Landry & Kling’s sustainability policies and finding ways to further green our business. Because of COVID, our company was forced to rethink air travel and find alternate ways to stay connected globally. We are no longer purchasing single-use plastics and have cut down drastically on paper use. Landry & Kling is currently establishing sustainable supply chains and partnerships. Joyce is also committed to educating our staff on how to incorporate sustainable practices into our own lives. 

Joyce recently completed a training program to become a certified member of the Miami Waterkeeper’s citizen group “1,000 Eyes on the Water”. She is now one of 500 persons on the water reporting on pollution, water quality and marine animals. As Joyce notes, Florida waterways belong to all residents, so it’s up to us to make a difference.

The Future of Travel & Cruising Post-Covid

Joyce is excited and optimistic about the future of travel. She believes that we are all explorers, and travel is essential as we grow in our understanding of the planet and its people. There are a plethora of ships on oceans and rivers that offer lots of fresh air and open space. With pent-up demand for cruise travel, cruise lines are implementing multi-layered health & safety protocols as they slowly return to service. 

What’s Next? Bucket List Destinations

More river cruises, please! Joyce has already traveled extensively over land and sea, but there is always more to discover. Last year, Joyce took two European river cruises and is now a huge fan of the intimate, open-air, river ships. She appreciated the more immersive destination experiences and “active discovery” excursion options during her river cruises through Europe.

Joyce’s Electric Holiday Adventure

Joyce owned a first-generation hybrid Prius for 16 years. Last year, she made the leap to an electric car. With COVID safety restrictions in place, Joyce and her husband Gene decided to take an “electric road trip” from Miami to Virginia over the holidays. Joyce spent many weeks researching electric charging stations along the route. As a result, the trip was fun, healthy, and to top it off – not harmful to the environment! 

Final Thoughts – Joyce’s Hope for 2021

Joyce hopes all of us can learn from last year’s challenges and use 2021 as a jumping-off place of healing. She says “Not go back to where we were, but to make better choices. We will come out healed and improved.” 

Now that’s a vision we can all get on board with as we cruise into 2021!

Keeping up With Sustainable Cruising

For more news about cruise lines at the forefront of sustainability, please visit Landry & Kling’s new website, SustainableShips.com catch up on our “Future of Cruising” Livecast interview series.