The research project, born at the beginning of 1998, aimed to evaluate the effects and impacts of alpinism and tourist accommodation on the high altitude mountain environment. It also approached the possibility of applying, in this context, the newest and most innovative systems of environmental management, usually used for industry.

The project was divided up into the following stages:

1. Collection of relevant material. Firstly, on European initiatives for sustainable forms of tourism and secondly on the management of mountain refuges, carried out with national and international Alpinism Associations
2. Collection of concrete cases, relative to international initiatives; a questionnaire was drawn up and given to the refuge's guests in order to evaluate environmental sensibility.
3. Field research carried out between 19th and 31st of July 1998 at the Regina Margherita Refuge. The aim was to draw-up a picture of the management system, as far as environmental factors were concerned: management of the drainage waters, rubbish and energy, and to identify means for improvement and specific organisational interventions.
4. The identification of criteria with which to draw up an environmental management manual for the Regina Margherita following the proposal for modifications to the various structures: organisational/management or physical/structural, that could be applied to improve the refuge's environmental performance.
5. The setting up and running of a campaign to communicate the results of the research