it’s no wonder environmentalism and gastronomy tend to go hand in hand. After all, both share a respect for whole food, thoughtful growing practices, and quality over quantity. The natural result of this union? The eco-friendly cooking-school vacation. What better way for green-minded foodies to indulge both their love of the land and love of food than to partake in this latest travel sub genre? A growing number of eco chefs have begun inviting vacationers to study in some of the most beautiful locales in the world. Whether you prefer making hand-rolled pasta on an organic olive farm in Tuscany or muddling a curry paste using organic lemongrass you picked in Thailand, the world really is your kitchen. Here are eight sustainable cooking schools where you can nourish your inner gourmand.

Food Artisans (Montepulciano, Italy)

When asked why she moved from California to Tuscany six years ago, Pamela Sheldon Johns, founder of Food Artisans, an Italian cooking school and tour company, is hard-pressed to name just one reason. “There is still a lot of artisanal, traditional food here,” she says. “People still think about food seasonally—and my daughter’s school lunch is 90 percent organic.” Her passion for her new home shines through in the way she immerses her students in Italian culture. Johns’s tours (there are four different ones) cover all the important regional cooking styles of northern, central, and southern Italy, but nothing rivals the experience of cooking Tuscan food on her working organic olive farm. There, Johns gives hands-on lessons in rustic peasant cuisine like ribollita (a hearty vegetable soup) or pici (a thick, hand-rolled spaghetti) in the kitchen of her 400-year-old villa. Students also attend tastings at local Montepulciano wineries and pecorino cheese producers; dinners hosted by neighboring villas; and impromptu poolside parties, where classes focus on how to make various antipastos and fresh margherita pizzas baked in outdoor brick ovens. “It was magical,” says Deanne Raish, a student who plans to go back this year. “We really got to experience how the Italians live.”

Details: A weeklong class costs approximately $3,500, including all meals and lodging (805.963.7289, foodartisans.com).

Annie’s Kitchen (Murs-en-Provence, France)

Annie Jacquet-Bentley is best known for founding L’Ecole des Chefs, an apprentice program that allows home cooks to train under star chefs.  With Annie’s Kitchen, she’s inviting students to learn Provençal cuisine in her 18th-century shepherd’s home in the town of Murs. Her state-of-the-art kitchen overlooks hills of lavender and olive trees, and there she teaches students to cook like she does—sans recipes. “The best approach to cooking is seeing what’s fresh at the market, then coming home and coming up with dishes,” says Jacquet-Bentley. Those include classics like bouillabaisse, claufoutis, and chocolate madeleines, as well as forays into other dishes like roasted lamb and goat-cheese soufflé. Since classes consist of only four to six people, students receive a lot of attention. They’ll also visit local artisans who make goat cheese, bread, and honey, and take wine-tasting lessons from a sommelier.

Details: Five-day classes are $2,650 including meals (annieskitcheninprovence.com). Local lodging starts at around $70 per night for a bed and breakfast (hote-en-luberon.com).