Sustainability

Introduction
Sustainability is the ability of an individual or an organization to maintain itself and continue to exist constantly. In technical communication, there is no defined interpretation of sustainability [7][9], and its usage of it reflects the objective rhetoric of the writer. Issues involving sustainability are characterized by a high level of complexity and uncertainty, which necessitates effective communication and understanding [8]. Communication in topics of sustainability often, but not exclusively, describe and measure the relationship between humans and the environment. The United States National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), describes the goal of sustainability is to create and maintain conditions in which humans and nature can exist in harmony. Sustainability through the NEPA policy is categorized into interconnected systems of social, economic, and environmental concerns [1]. Technical communicators can expect to encounter sustainability in academia, business, public policy, and other writing genres that examine future development.

Rhetoric of Sustainability
Technical communicators must account for the open-ended definitions and complex nature of sustainability. Rhetoric is the strategic use of tone and language to communicate a particular message. The openness of sustainability may enable a misrepresentation of information. According to Robert Lackey, sustainability may be used to describe situations that are counter to the environmental harmony discussed by NEPA [6]. The deliberate use and misuse of sustainability in technical communications have led to differing impacts on public and private policy. As a result of this, a thorough examination of sustainability-based policies is needed to be free of harmful or biased rhetoric [6].

The broad application of sustainability is important to its mission of planning, building policy, expressing values, and as a social movement. Due to this scope, however, it attracts communicators who use the following types of sustainability arguments to counter sustainable solutions. Technical communicators must know these to anticipate and plan for reactionary responses in discussing sustainability issues [4].

The concept and practices of sustainability have been known as long as humans have depended on the environment for sustenance. The ability to communicate effective practices and policy has shaped how successful human systems are in relation to their environment. In the last 150 years, the rate of consumption has exponentially grown, and the global environment’s ability to sustain this has been increasingly challenged. Communicating effective practices increases awareness of sustainability issues and increases the success rate of campaigns to promote more conscious practices. Initiatives such as the 2030 Agenda and NEPA, establish global sustainable development goals that encompass different subjects of concern in social, economic, and environmental categories [7]. These initiatives shape technical communication by providing a framework to address issues and discuss solutions to current problems and discuss future practices.