Preliminary Considerations: You can't manage what you don't measure. This old management adage is still relevant today, especially for companies that want to maximize their positive environmental, socio-cultural and economic impacts. Unless you measure your company�s �footprint�, there�s no way to determine if it is getting better or worse. But where do you start? We suggest taking the following approach:

	Tourism businesses that wish to be Eco-assessed or Eco-certified need to establish a framework for measuring their impacts. Sustainability frameworks are roadmaps that help guide this process, and they�re typically organized into three levels: goals, performance measures and metrics. Goals define broad categories of sustainability. Performance measures provide specific measurements to assess the issue described in each goal. And metrics identify the specific data needed to measure performance.
	Define your goals and identify performance measures and metrics. For example, if your goal is to reduce the environmental impacts associated with your office operations and your objective is to save money, your performance measures and the related metrics might look something like this: Energy consumption as measured by electricity billings in dollars and kilowatt hours; Paper consumption as measured by paper purchases in reams and the cost in dollars; Greenhouse gas reductions as measured by carbon footprint analysis in metric tons; Solid waste reduction as measured by disposal billings in dollars and cubic yards recycled; Total value of green products and services purchased vs. the total value of products and services purchased; Employee job satisfaction as measured by surveys and interviews; Total time invested and cost in dollars; and Total cost savings in dollars.
	Next, measure your performance over a period of time by collecting detailed data on the impacts. This will help you to establish a baseline level of performance. Be sure to appoint an employee to monitor and execute scheduled activities as well as record and review the results. Then compare future levels to set targets or to similar businesses.
	Educate your staff and clients about how they can help you to achieve your goals.

For more information, review STEP Eligibility. STI's Guide to Sustainable Tourism is also available to assist STEP applicants in establishing sustainability frameworks.

Self-assessment: This educational-based tool encompasses a set of required criteria as well as criteria with weighted point values designated to help determine the extent to which a business meets the principles of sustainable development.

Applicants have 60 days to complete the Self-assessment Application and submit the results and required documentation, providing them with an opportunity to improve upon their performance within this timeframe.

Please note that STI's Guide to Sustainable Tourism is designed to assist tourism providers in improving their STEP rating. STI will also refer companies interested in improving their performance on to qualified consultants.

Applicants who opt to only submit the required documentation may receive Eco-assessed status, including a STEP "Self-assessment Completed" logo. For more information, review the STEP Rating System.

On-site Audit: Applicants who wish to receive Eco-certified status and who have completed steps one and two should notify STI to schedule an on-site audit. STI will appoint them to a STEP Accredited Auditor. On-site audits are mandatory for "Professionally Audited" Eco-certification status as they ensure compliance woth STEP and prevent greenwashing. Also, it is important for a person from an objective and credible source to experience the applicant's services first hand.

STEP Accredited Auditors undertake audits to verify applicants' performance and document and compare their findings with the information provided by the applicant in their Self-assessment application. During the on-site audit, applicants must provide their auditor with evidence and documentation to justify that they are compliant with any given STEP criteria.

The length of time required to complete an audit varies according to the size and scope of the applicant's operations and the level of Eco-certification they wish to receive.

Evaluation: A separate, voluntary Evaluation Committee will then review the auditor's report and make the determination of whether or not to eco-certify an applicant and at what level. The Evaluation Committee's decision is based on the auditor's report, and the applicant's Self-assessment application.

Applicants who are successful will receive "Professionally Audited" Eco-certified status, including the appropriate STEP logo. For more information, review the STEP Rating System.