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 the 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 the 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.
History
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 has lead 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 to sustainability issues and increases the success rate of campaigns to promote more conscious practices. Initiatives such as, the 2030 Agenda and NEPA, establish global sustainability 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.
IPCC Projections
Rhetorical Questions for technical communicators to consider are:
What is meant when the term sustainability is invoked?
Sustainability of what? [6]
Sustainability over what time frame?
Are social values and priorities assumed to be fixed or is some change anticipated?
Who benefits the most from a particular development and is there transparency?[2]
Are impacts to environment, society and economy addressed? [6][5]
How are community members and stakeholders impacted? [2]
Are these developments sustainable to the environment? [6]
Rational for Sustainability Communication
The need for effective communications in sustainability related issues are critical due to:
Issues characterized by higher levels of complexity and uncertainty coupled with high decision stakeholders involving science, dialogue and broader societal values [8].
Sustainability goals are often uncertain, involving conflicts in interest and values
The ability to govern sustainability goals is dispersed among decision makers necessitating network coordination [8].
Communication about Sustainability
Communication of sustainability (CoS) contrasts CaS by being instrumental or managerial [8] and are singularly-directional where the sender follows an objective of communication. Sustainability reporting by organizations is an example of this type of communication [5]. CoS informs individuals and organizations and achieves engagement and action. When technical communicators assess the effectiveness of CoS they must consider:
Have the recipients been reached?
Have they understood the message?
Communication about sustainability (CaS) is the process in which information, interpretations and opinions involving sustainability are discussed. The issues and discussions frame exist on different levels, from interpersonal face to face interaction to published mass media. This communication shapes perception and creates understanding of the issues, goals and structured facts [8].
Communication of Sustainability
Communication for Sustainability
Communication for sustainability (CfS) contrasts CoS and CaS by shifting the emphasis towards sustainable development. Communication is not simply about providing sustainability information or awareness, but rather transformation and transition towards the normative goals of sustainable development. This type of communication advocates for systemic changes to achieve a sustainability goal. [8].
Three Pillars Model of Sustainability
When technical communicators work with the topic of sustainability,
they encounter categorization of written material into the categories of Environment, Social and Economic concepts. This model is the standard framework for NEPA and aligns with the majority of organizational discourse in regard to sustainability. The environmental pillar is the concept in which social and economic sustainability is supported, and according to NEPA, is the focus of efforts to protect. By visualizing and recognizing the systemic relationship between the three pillars, a greater understanding of sustainability can be constructed by communicators [1].
Environmental Pillar
Air Quality
Water Quality
Stressors
Resource Integrity
Ecosystem Services
Green Engineering
Social Pillar
Environmental Justice
Human Health
Participation
Education
Resource Security
Sustainable Communities
Economic Pillar
Jobs
Incentives
Supply and Demand
Natural Resource Accounting
Costs
Prices
References
[1] https://www.epa.gov. Sustainability Primer. Author Not Stated. 05-2015. Environmental Protection Agency. https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-05/documents/sustainability_primer_v9.pdf. Accessed 11-02-2020.
[2] Graham-Rowe, Duncan. (2010). How to Communicate Green-Business. The Guardian. London.
[3] Hibbard, Scott (2009) Six Key Factors for Achieving Sustainable Manufacturing. Foundry Management and Technology
[4] Holden, Meg. (2010) The Rhetoric of Sustainability: Perversity, Futility, Jeopardy?. MDPI Sustainability Journal. p. 645-659.
[5] Isenmann, Ralf. (2007). Online Reporting for Sustainability Issues. Business Strategy and the Environment. p. 487-501.
[6] Lackey, R. T. (1995). Ecosystem health, biological diversity, and sustainable development: research that makes a difference. Renewable Resources Journal. p. 7-13.
[7] https://www.mcgill.ca. What is Sustainability?. Author Not Stated. 2010. University of Alberta. https://www.mcgill.ca/sustainability/files/sustainability/what-is-sustainability.pdf. Accessed 10-27-2020
[8] Newig, J. (2013) Communication Regarding Sustainability: Conceptual Perspectives and Exploration of Societal Subsystems. MDPI Sustainability Journal. p. 2976-2990
[9] https://www.sustain.ucla.edu. What is Sustainability? Author Not Stated. 2020. University of California Los Angeles. https://www.sustain.ucla.edu/what-is-sustainability/. Accessed 10-27-2020
Edited by Chris Simone 11/7/2020