John Hardy Johnbali

Artist, Blogger, Designer, Idea generator, Industrialist, Inventor, Investor, Marketer, Parent, Social entrepreneur

I am a renowned artist and entrepreneur with a unique talent for having unconventional ideas and making them a reality. After graduating from the Ontario College of Art & Design, I travelled the world before eventually settling in Bali. In 1975, I started a modest jewelry business that grew into a major international company. In 2007, I exited the business to dedicate my time to advocating and building a more sustainable world through education and design. The first creation of my tireless energy and industry was Green School in Bali, Indonesia. Green School was co-conceived with my wife, Cynthia, make our world more sustainable by inspiring students to live a life of purpose through action-based learning in a truly unique environment. I spoke at TED Global about Green School and the USGBC awarded the school with the 2012 Greenest School on Earth award. Today, the school has a student body of approximately 400 from over 40 countries. In 2010, my daughter, Elora, founded Ibuku, a uniquely creative and innovative design house. Ibuku is founded upon our shared experience and passion for art and design and our deep interest in architecture. In addition, I have served as the visionary for Green Village Bali, a collection of custom homes made almost exclusively from bamboo and only a short walk from Green School, and a growing community which a number of Green School families now call home. I am passionate educator and student and speak regularly at events around the world about my vision for a sustainable and greener world. You can follow all my latest ideas, innovations and thoughts here: www.greenbyjohn.com

Bamboo, passion in education, authenticity, and beauty. And making Bali plastic free.

If the entire degraded cottonland of the Mississippi delta was planted with bamboo, it would sequester the United States' entire carbon production annually.

A day after my speech a woman came down the stairs and threw her arms around me and said, "I have been to 17 TED's, I work for TED and I cried 3 times during your talk. Your talk is one of my all time favorites."

Remembering what I heard