As a guest in El Gouna, one of the first things I noticed were the abundance of designated recycling points, a relative rarity in Egypt. Then there were the electric and solar-powered tuk-tuks ferrying people around; as well as an electric bike-sharing system, the first in Africa, launched in 2017. Amid Nubian-inspired architecture, designed to achieve maximum passive cooling, I saw signs inviting me to minimise consumption of water and detergents, eco taps in the hotel rooms to reduce water usage, and a distinct lack of plastic straws and packaging.