Today, I went to the fire department open house in my neighborhood. This isn't something I normally would've done, but my kid's school encouraged participation. The night changed my perception of firefighters. I thought they were so hardened and scary before, but now I realize they are just there to help us. Everyone was so nice and taught us about the realities of firefighter training. They also put real care into teaching my kids about the importance of having a fire drill plan in our home and tailored their demos to parents about the importance of updated alarms.

This isn't sustainability directly, but it's community-building. And knowing your neighbors have your back is the first step in the sustainability of a community.