Throughout the Caribbean, hoteliers are working hard to make social and environmental responsibility inviting, stylish, and comfortable

Sustainable tourism has a longstanding history in the Caribbean—since at least 1958, when Laurance Rockefeller opened the Dorado Beach Club in Puerto Rico to create jobs, preserve nature, and increase tourism. All the same, there are no agreed-upon regional or local standards for conservation and sustainability; tourism professionals who care about these issues are largely on their own. With the exception of resorts that can afford to invest in, for instance, Green Globe certification (see cha-cast.com/GGproperties.html), hoteliers must devise their own environmental practices. Resorts on the cutting edge of sustainability not only are environmentally sensitive but also actively integrate themselves into the local economy, engaging the community through jobs, education, health care, and micro-credit. Here are some of the most interesting we've come across—places that are not just green but great.

Antigua
With no shortage of Frette linens and beach butlers, the 72-room Green Globe–certified Curtain Bluff, a Condé Nast Traveler Gold List property, draws 99 percent of its staff from the nearby Old Road village and also operates the non-profit Old Road Fund, which distributes scholarships and financial assistance (268-462-8400; curtainbluff.com; doubles, $495–$595).

Bahamas
Set on a long, secluded beach on Andros Island, 100 percent solar-powered Tiamo has 11 elegant, airy, screened-in bungalows. It is the island's largest employer: Almost 90 percent of the staff are South Androsian (242-357-2989; tiamoresorts.com; doubles, $570, all-inclusive).

Dominica
In unspoiled rain forest with sea views, Jungle Bay was built by local laborers and farmers who learned wood- and stone-working skills in order to transform volcanic rock and recycled wood into a sophisticated 35-cottage resort. Low-impact activities range from kayaking to birding, yoga classes to spa treatments (767-446-1789; junglebaydominica.com; doubles, $460). Significantly more rustic, 3 Rivers Eco Lodge lures hardy visitors to a rain forest valley where lodgings include solar-powered cottages (each with an organic garden) and a covered building with bunks and hammocks strung dormitory-style. The lodge runs renewable-energy and organic-farming workshops in the community, and participants can apply for loans to purchase their own renewable energy sources (767-446-1886; 3riversdominica.com; doubles, $77).

Dominican Republic
Puntacana Resort & Club, which includes the recently opened exclusive villa enclave Tortuga Bay, has an on-site laundry facility that uses recycled steam from its adjacent electricity building, as well as a water treatment system which funnels gray water into the irrigation system. The Puntacana Ecological Foundation, founded in 1994, maintains a 1,500-acre park and reserve, and has built a school, a clinic, and housing nearby for many employees (809-959-2262; puntacana.com; villas, $1,560–$2,320).

Grenada
The island's most beautiful resort, Laluna is set on its own bay, with 30 private villas and a laid-back but stylish decor. It uses solar panels, a salt-cleaning pool system, and locally grown produce and organizes ecotours, such as visits to the all-organic Grenada Chocolate farm and factory (473-439-0001; laluna.com; doubles, $360–$570). In the middle of Grand Anse beach, with terraces and a new spa, the Spice Island Beach Resort has a high luxe level as well as solar heating, a desalinization plant, and salt-based pool cleaning, and it recycles wastepaper to line coffins (473-444-4258; spicebeachresort.com; doubles, $635–$665).

Jamaica
Jake's is a collection of cottages, cabins, restaurants, and a pool set along a sleepy patch of coastline in the village of Treasure Beach. The hotel is part of Island Outpost, a group of sophisticated hotels that are committed to community development. Under the umbrella of Island ACTS (Assisting Communities Toward Strength), the resorts operate initiatives ranging from establishing a sports and community center to funding a health clinic (876-965-0635; islandoutpost.com; doubles, $95–$295). Up on a hill in Port Antonio, Green Globe–certified Mocking Bird Hill looks out upon the lush Blue Mountains; its chef creates some of the island's very best food. In conjunction with a nearby school, the resort has created an adult literacy program for its employees as well as an art class where people learn to turn recycled paper into crafts that they can sell. Mocking Bird Hill also makes an annual contribution to offset its carbon emissions (876-993-7267; hotelmockingbirdhill.com; doubles, $165–$295). The high-end, all-inclusive Half Moon, in Montego Bay, sprawls across 400 acres and includes organic gardens, 51 solar-heated pools, and a 25-acre nature preserve. The golf course lives on gray water, wastewater is treated with UV lights instead of chlorine, and there is an on-site furniture and upholstery workshop (876-953-2211; halfmoon.com; doubles, $250–$290).

Saba
The 11 jungle cottages at the Ecolodge Rendez-Vous, on this five-square-mile island, incorporate reappropriated plastic and Hardiplank (a composite of cement, sand, and recycled paper) and use solar panels for a 12V lighting system. The lodge serves its own organic produce, including avocados, lettuce, passion fruit, and Surinam cherries (599-416-3348; ecolodgesaba.com; doubles, $65–$85). On the Windward coast, El Momo's six wood cabins have sweeping views, environment-friendly cleaning products, and solar-powered showers backed up by a superefficient electrical system to minimize heat loss (599-416-2265; elmomo.com; doubles, $70–$90).

St. John
A laudable pioneer in ecotourism, opened in 1976 in the U.S. Virgin Islands National Park, Maho Bay Camps has 114 tree house–like structures made of sustainable materials that are connected to communal bathhouses by elevated wooden walkways (340-715-0501; maho.org; tents, $80). The Harmony Studios are more upscale, with private bathrooms (340-715-0501; maho.org; studios, $120–$145). Across the island, on the southeast side, the luxurious Concordia Eco-Tents have solar energy systems, private toilets, and full kitchens (340-715-0501; maho.org; doubles, $95). Nearby, the Estate Concordia Studios have a large pool and views of Salt Pond Bay. During construction, the resort reserved natural materials and reincorporated them into the finished design; rooms are decorated with artwork made from recycled glass and clay (340-715-0501; maho.org; studios, $95–$150).

St. Lucia
In addition to its stunning open-air suites and private pools, the Green Globe–certified Ladera is a Condé Nast Traveler Gold List property. Built of regional wood and stone, it buys food locally and has adopted a nearby school (758-459-7323; ladera.com; doubles, $310–$760). A new Grace Leo-Andrieu–designed 124-room retreat, Discovery at Marigot Bay has responsibly harvested hardwood floors and uses a solar­powered ferry. During construction, the resort restored neighboring mangroves (758-458-5300; discoverystlucia.com; doubles, $270–$310). Anse Chastanet's new high-design addition, Jade Mountain has three-walled suites with private infinity pools; each is built with hardwood from a non-depleted Guyana rain forest and is furnished with locally made furniture (758-459-4000; jademountainstlucia.com; suites, $950–$1,400).

Trinidad
Another pioneer, high above sea level in the Northern Range, the Asa Wright Nature Centre has more than 1,500 acres of rain forest. In addition to its research and conservation efforts, the center, which draws much of its staff from nearby villages, has 24 basic rooms in a lodge and in elevated cottages (try to book one of the two rooms in the 1908 former plantation house). Meals are included, and specialties use fresh produce (305-292-0706; asawright.org; doubles, $250).