Environmental Walk-through Program
STEP is collaborating with the Caribbean Alliance for Sustainable Tourism (CAST) and PA Consulting to introduce an "environmental walk-through" program for small hotels. The walk-through is a tool designed to assess a small hotel’s environmental performance in key areas including water and electricity conservation, waste management, and the use of environmentally-friendly equipment and supplies. With grant support from USAID, CAST is in the final design stages of this effort and will be field testing the environmental walk-through program this fall, beginning in Dominica and Barbados.

Once the field testing is complete, trained experts will be available to small hoteliers for "walk-throughs" of their properties to assist them to identify ways in which they can improve environmental management systems. The walk-throughs will take up to one half day and will identify courses of actions for small hoteliers in areas ranging from energy conservation to maintenance practices. Practical ways of saving money on operations while practicing environmental responsibility will be a feature of these walkthroughs.

CAST has an array of programs and resource materials that small hoteliers can access, either directly or through the STEP walk-in centres in participating countries. The walkthroughs are seen as a first step in the process of implementing a comprehensive approach to environmental management in small hotel properties.

The environmental walk-through program will be finalized and this service will be made available by the beginning of 2002. At that time contacts and program information and pricing will be provided.  Click here to view the Environmental Walk-Through Toolkit (pdf  format 138k).