Weekday Breeze: John Hardy and His Green School in Bali

John Hardy and his wife, Cynthia

John is a Bali-based designer whose line of intricate handmade jewelry and home accessories were inspired by his idea of "sustainable luxury", a belief that a business can be successful while still respecting the natural and human environments and planning for future generations.

A love-affair with Bali
John first traveled to Bali as an art student in 1975. There he learned ancient jewelry-making techniques from traditional Balinese silversmiths and incorporated these techniques into designs featuring complex patterns and shapes representing a philosophical harmony inspired the culture's stories, myths and legends. John Hardy is a luxury brand of handmade designer jewelry sold in North America in fine department stores such as Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue, as well as other retailers in the United States and the Caribbean.

A new way of building In 2007 John and his wife, Cynthia, endowed a new independent school called Green School to provide a holistic education to children in a sustainable environment.

The school is located in Bali near Ubud.Green School is striving to have the lowest carbon footprint of any international school anywhere, through use of bamboo and rammed earth for its buildings, growing its own food in its gardens, and plans to generate its own power from the river.

John talked about Green School at Qi 2010. http://www.qi-global.com/john-hardy

What's Up? - John Hardy from Qi GLOBAL on Vimeo.