Dr. Todd is a pioneer in the emerging field of ecological design and engineering and has won many prestigious awards and honorary degrees including:
- US Environmental Protection Agency Award for his restorer design at The Four Seasons Resort, Kona, Hawaii (Earth Day, 2005)
- Named one of the 35 Top Inventors of the 20th Century by MIT/Lemelson Invention Program (2002)
- The Bioneers Lifetime Achievement Award (1998)
- The Charles A. and Ann Morrow Lindbergh Award for technological innovation on behalf of the environment (1998) with his wife Nancy Jack Todd.
- The Environmental Merit Award from the US Environmental Protection Agency (1996)
- The Chrysler Design Award from The Chrysler Design Institute (1994) to John Todd and Nancy Jack Todd
- The Discovery Award for technological innovation (1991)
- The Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Award from The White House (1990)
- Friends of The United Nations Environment Program FUNEP 500 Environmental Achievement Award for contribution to the global environment (1990)
- The US Environmental Protection Agency Chico Mendes Memorial Award for environmental restoration (1989)
- The Swiss Threshold Foundation Threshold Award for contribution to human knowledge (1980).
