It's HARD that people aren't accountable for their actions; we create a bounty of excuses as to why things aren't going the way they should. It starts off small to OWN up to what you do and what you have done. We need to stop making excuses for the conveniences in our life and start making radical personal changes that reverberates throughout our communities. Make it known. 

Both at home and now at school, we are trying to minimize materials that head to a landfill or even the recycling center.  I have set up containers in the art room at school (and in my studio at home) to collect paper scraps (that can be turned into pulp for new projects) and “interesting” trash items that are able to be cleaned and used in mixed media pieces.  
In addition to lowering the environmental impact of their disposal and the creation of something new, this practice has changed the way I see materials and approach works and some of the students are already expressing the same sentiments. 

The 7th Generation. Think long-term about the results of one's actions and see if it will be sustainable for 7 generations.

I am going to cheat on answering what my sustainable community looks like: Today, driving home from work, I saw TWO people throw bags of trash out of their window onto the highway. HOW are we to have sustainable communities when we cannot even get people to throw trash in a trash can? We need education and peer pressure from an early age promoting sustainable practices and giving people facts about the damage we are doing to our living spaces.  We need a complete shift in our view of the environment as Americans before any sort of sustainable community can become a reality. Adults make me lose hope; Kids give me back that hope.

In art  class we made finger knit garlands and small pictures to hang from them to hang at a bus stop.  Hopefully they will bring additional cheer to commuters’ day.

A economic mindset that values profit over people and planet.  We need better education and access to affordable, local produce at all income levels.