Green Dreams Become Reality in Bali

I've been wearing John Hardy jewelry for several years, ever since my parents bought me my first piece, a necklace chain with a pearl drop slider.  I've added a number of pieces to my collection since then.  His sister Ellen Woodward is a good friend of our family and I'd often heard the story of how John left the smaller town near the small town where I grew up 40 years ago to live in Bali and make jewelry.

Last night, I had the opportunity to meet the man himself and hear him speak about his current passion, a  school he and his family have built in Bali.  They call it "The Green School" because it is built mostly out of bamboo, an easily renewable resource.

To give you an idea of what is possible, here's a peek inside one of the bamboo structures:

Photo copied from http://knstrct.com/2012/10/12/green-village-bali/

Isn't it beautiful?  You can see some of the content of John's talk in this video.  (You can also find John's Ted Talk here, which is also very similar to the talk we heard last night but I had trouble watching this video, kept getting buffering messages that stopped the display, it was rather annoying. Hope you have better luck!)

His daughter also has a video online, telling a bit more about the wonders of bamboo and the processes involved in using it for building.  She runs the company that built the school and which is currently building several homes in the same village.

You can see photos of the incredible buildings and interior designs that Ibuku is making here.  They are like nothing you have ever seen before.

It was an interesting evening. John is obviously passionate about what he is doing and his enthusiasm is contagious.  I was all ready to jump on a plane to Bali ... until he mentioned the bugs that often can be found inside a building that doesn't have walls.  I was okay with the idea of a snake passing through, as long as it wasn't dangerous but centipedes?  No, I don't think so.  Well, maybe.  I'll have to think about it.

In the meantime, my subconscious is busy designing my own special house made out of bamboo.  Maybe a tree house ... (can centipedes climb trees?)