Green by John & Cynthia

A compilation of green innovations, news & ideas curated by John & Cynthia Hardy, co-founders of Green School Bali, Bambu Indah, Tembaga and Tangan Boutique.

[Green by John & Cynthia @green_byjohn]

The modern world has an obsession with concrete boxes, and it’s making us miserable. We've spent centuries celebrating patriarchal right angles when we should be building with the matriarchy.

When you step into a room with a curving floor or a rounded ceiling, your reptilian brain instantly relaxes. You feel like you're home.

That is why we choose to build with Elora Hardy. Her organic, curving spaces are built with love, and love is an incredibly powerful thing.

#MatriarchalArchitecture #IBUKUBali

[Green by John & Cynthia @green_byjohn]

Born from raw studio experiments, singular moments of curiosity, and custom projects.

The 18K Misfits Collection features one-of-one rings crafted entirely outside the formal lines. Every piece has a completely unique structure, stone, and motif because the metal was allowed to form naturally. See them for yourself at Tangan Boutique.

#CarinaHardy #TanganBoutique

[Green by John & Cynthia @green_byjohn]

We don't talk about awe enough in design. Architects chase it with lines on paper, but true magic happens when structure meets the senses.

Here’s a glimpse into why Elora Hardy brought the Bale Bengong to Jia CURATED for the Architecture in Scale showcase.

A contemporary take on the traditional Balinese bale, reimagined as a place to gather, rest and connect with its surroundings.

Thank you to the Jia CURATED team for cultivating this future. #JiaCurated2026 #IBUKUBali

[Green by John & Cynthia @green_byjohn]

We decided to fight the invasion of ugly restaurant metal lamps with pure Balinese craftsmanship.

Alongside PT Bamboo Pure, Pak Made took an ordinary lamp apart, threw away the metal, and rebuilt it using discarded bamboo branches and paper-thin bamboo veneer that glows like cloth.

No two are identical. Every base, grain, and glow is unique. Come see them on the tables at Tembaga or pick one up at the Tangan Store. #BambooPure #ArtisanMade

[Green by John & Cynthia @green_byjohn]

In the 17th century, the King of Karangasem used a dining tradition to bring his people together after battle: Megibung.

No hierarchy, no individual portions. Everyone sat in a long row to eat from a single line of rice as equals.

We recently hosted Astungkara Way and our local farmers to discuss the future of Bali’s rice fields, sealing the day by sharing the same plate.

#Megibung #BaliHistory #BambuIndahBali

[Green by John & Cynthia @green_byjohn]

A collection that has traveled an extraordinary distance to meet us here in the Sayan Valley. Forty to sixty million years ago, this was liquid tree sap. Today, it rests in Tangan Boutique.

Raw amber pieces, washed ashore by storms in Gdańsk, Poland. Remarkably lightweight, with a beautiful warmth and smooth, tactile quality that makes them a pleasure to hold.

We have crafted beautiful necklaces and bracelets, and reimagined pieces into playful keyrings.

#Amber #TanganBoutique

[Green by John & Cynthia @green_byjohn]

We brought IKIGAI to Tembaga, featuring a mindful tea ceremony by Master Soryo Matsumura, an immersive bamboo knife workshop by MUJUN + Cowka, the hauntingly beautiful sound of sahari bronze orin bells, and a documentary screening of Weaving the Forest.

It's exactly why we built this copper universe: to gather, transform, and share.

Thanks to everyone who came out to celebrate over a regenerative feast. #Ikigai #TembagaBali

[Green by John & Cynthia @green_byjohn]

I never expected a spear to become part of my morning routine. But after 50 years at Bambu Indah, Cynthia and I couldn't ignore the roadside litter.

Armed with Peter Barge’s custom spears and AWAVEWAKE’s over-the-shoulder bags, our team and guests now clean the route daily before breakfast.

A great start to the day. #TrashWalk #BambuIndahBali

[Green by John & Cynthia @green_byjohn]

Alternative to Plastic Straws - in 9 simple steps.

You can get rid of plastic straws at your business. Watch how we Grow, Cut, Measure, Clean, Serve, Sort, Compost, Fertilize, Re-Grow and use Papaya Leaf Stems as an eco-friendly alternative to plastic straws. Full video on YouTube.

https://t.co/9xqqm2emuF

[Green by John & Cynthia @green_byjohn]

Sage has been used to clear a space in cultures across the world for thousands of years. The Romans used it medicinally. Indigenous cultures across the Americas burned it before ceremony. In Bali, smoke and scent have always been part of how sacred space is made. We use it before rituals on the property. Some practices survive because they work.

#Ritual #Culture #Balinese #Calm #Ubud

[Green by John & Cynthia @green_byjohn]

Mushrooms are one of the most studied ingredients in longevity research. Dr Steven Gundry identifies them as a core food for gut health, immune function, and reducing inflammation. The cocktails at Tembaga are made with mushrooms grown in the cave on the property, fermented to increase their probiotic content. The drink is built around the same principles.

#Cocktail #mushrooms #drink #HealthyEats #trend

[Green by John & Cynthia @green_byjohn]

Kuno House is a 200-year-old Javanese teak gladak, relocated from Java to sit above the rice paddies at Bambu Indah. The room is dressed in fine ikat textiles and French linens. The outdoor bathroom has a Japanese-style copper and teak bathtub. The porch faces the valley. Old buildings hold things that new ones cannot.

#Kuno #housegoals #unique #Javanese #Ubud #Bali

[Green by John & Cynthia @green_byjohn]

Often at Bambu Indah someone is on the trails with a bamboo spear picking up plastic from the riverbanks and roads. We have been doing this for years before it was called Earth Day. If you want to join us today, come walk with us.

#EarthDay #BambuIndah #Ubud #Bali

[Green by John & Cynthia @green_byjohn]

Raden Adjeng Kartini fought for the education and independence of Indonesian women over 120 years ago. The women who cook in our kitchens, tend the gardens, and plant the rice at Bambu Indah carry that same determination every day. Today we mark that.

#KartiniDay #Nasional #Indonesian

[Green by John & Cynthia @green_byjohn]

In Bongkasa village, a few minutes from Bambu Indah, buffaloes are still working the land the way they have for centuries. They plough the rice paddies, fertilise the soil, and are fed by the same land they tend. The relationship between the animal and the land here has never been broken.

#Animals #Farm #Bufalloes #Experience #Village #Bali

[Green by John & Cynthia @green_byjohn]

The water in the pools at Bambu Indah comes from underground springs filtered through volcanic rock from the mountains. It travels through that rock for years before it reaches the surface. More than 15 pools beside the Ayung River. The same water cycle that has been running through this valley for centuries.

#Pools #River #NatureScenery #Experience #trendingindonesia #Ubud #Bali

[Green by John & Cynthia @green_byjohn]

The riverside shala at Bambu Indah sits beside the Ayung River. The class is open air. The river is loud. The jungle is close. Yoga has been practiced beside rivers like this one for thousands of years. We did not invent this. We just did not pave over it.

#Wellness #NatureVibes #Relax #calm #Ubud #Bali

[Green by John & Cynthia @green_byjohn]

Starling Nest is shaped like a raindrop. The structure is curvilinear bamboo, designed by IBUKU, the studio founded by Elora Hardy. Freeform skylights cut through the high ceiling. The floors are lime mud. The entrance is a nautical copper revolving door in the shape of a teardrop. The outdoor bathroom has a copper rain shower and copper sink. It sleeps two, sits 60 steps from reception, and looks out over the village side of the property.

#StarlingNest #Bambo #housegoals #NatureVibes #SlowLiving #Ubud #Bali

[Green by John & Cynthia @green_byjohn]

Tangan means hands in Indonesian. These skulls are hand-carved in Bali from rare stones, vintage bowling balls, and old pool balls. The craftsmen behind them have been working this way for over four decades. The same hands, the same tools, the same materials most people would throw away. Each one takes hours. No two are the same. You will find them at Tangan, our boutique at the entrance of Bambu Indah.

#craft #bountique #Handcrafted #antique #Bali

[Green by John & Cynthia @green_byjohn]

At Tembaga, rendang is cooked inside a sealed bamboo tube over an open fire. The bamboo holds the heat and the smoke while the ingredients cook slowly inside. The tube itself adds flavour. Bamboo contains natural silica and releases a faint mineral quality into whatever is cooked inside it. It is one of the oldest cooking methods in Southeast Asia, used long before metal pots existed. We make it with beef or mushroom, or you can try both, just ask our chef!

#Bambo #FoodieFind #Traditional #Experience #Ubud #Bali