The future is quite precarious in the Maldives, but this resort is working to save not just itself, but all 1200 islands in the archipelago. Already a leader in sustainability for its waste reduction systems and organic farm, Soneva Fushi will soon be the home of SCI:ENCE, short for Sustainability and Conservation for Island Ecosystems through Nurturing Collaborative Endeavors. The research center’s team is at the helm of initiatives like coral propagation and mosquito management.

Potato Head is the utopian community of entrepreneur Ronald Akili, who has called his 7.4-acre estate a “creative playground.” Guests are gifted Zero Waste Kits, which include reusable water bottles and lunch boxes made from 100 percent recycled material. Elsewhere, the zero-waste ethos continues, from the Beach Club, which has been certified climate-neutral by the United Nation’s Climate Neutral Now initiative, to the Sustainism Lab, where artisans give waste a second life.

Nestled into a 400-acre private island, the resort claims just five percent of the land—the rest has been reforested to bring back howler monkeys, iguanas, and dozens of exotic birds. The property purifies wastewater for use in a drip irrigation system that supplies its organic farm and orchards, and maintains a strict anti-plastic policy The electricity? Solar-powered. The furniture? Crafted in the on-site woodshop from naturally felled wood. And the seafood? Always fresh and wild-caught.

The sand-dune-like villas at Kisawa Sanctuary are actually cutting-edge architecture, composed of sand and saltwater that was then made via a 3-D printer. The owners used recycled plastic, native grasses, and other readily available materials to build as green as possible. Then there’s the Bazaruto Center for Scientific Studies, a solar-powered marine research facility funded by Kisawa’s profits. Guests can assist scientists as they monitor ecosystems and can even help tag sea turtles.

This retreat, which sits atop a series of floating docks, is powered entirely by a hydropower system fueled naturally by streams and waterfalls, and 100 percent of its drinking water comes straight from the source. The owners are now investing in more conservation projects, including Sea to Cedar, a research program that collects data on salmon genetics to protect the species from overfishing, and funds research using local bear DNA to establish park boundaries that allow the animals to thrive.

The 15-tent Shinta Mani Wild in the Cardamom National Park serves as a model for high-yield, low-impact tourism. Not a single tree was felled during construction, and the camp bans single-use plastics. The property funds an on-site Wildlife Alliance ranger station that protects the area. Since its opening, rangers have released more than 100 captured animals and confiscated thousands of snares, chainsaws, and other tools of loggers and poachers who might have otherwise destroyed the ecosystem.

Wood is one of the most sustainable materials due to the lack of carbon release required to build with it and the ability to easily replace trees. The Wood Hotel is proof that it can also be beautiful. This hotel is as cozy as it is cool, enveloped in timber, and set to become one of the world's first carbon-neutral buildings. The AI control system ensures that energy is not wasted by monitoring conditions, from temperature to occupancy, and adjusts heating and cooling in real time.