<p> Self-sustainability is presented as a foundational practice for creating a more sustainable world. Through an autoethnographic study, the author uses her time as a doctoral student to examine the concept of sustainability and how sustainability can be interpreted through the lens of the individual. Four distinct phases are explored: awareness, permission, change, and intention. These stages were inspired by, and correspond with, her four years at Prescott College. In studying with a fellow student, the researcher learned a method of songwriting called Story-to-Song (STS), wherein a song is lifted from a spoken story. She created an identity that fit her requirements for self-sustainability and wove this identity into her personal, professional, and academic life. The researcher's path to self-sustainability is traced through storied expression and songwriting. Literature and research that examines the importance of creating and sharing identity and through different forms of creative expression is explored. Data includes written pieces, songs composed in the STS tradition, and journals. Together, this autoethnography and the research cited suggest that one of the most important steps in the larger field of sustainability should begin with the examination of self-sustainability.</p><p> Keywords: autoethnography, self, sustainability, story, song, identity </p>

<p> Resource consumption continues to increase as the population grows. In order to secure a sustainable future, society must educate the next generation to become "sustainability natives." Schools play a pivotal role in educating a sustainability-literate society. However, a disconnect exists between the hidden curriculum of the built environment and the enacted curriculum. This study employs a transformative participatory professional development model to instruct teachers on how to use their school grounds as teaching tools for the purpose of helping students make explicit choices in energy consumption, materials use, and sustainable living. </p><p> Incorporating a phenomenological perspective, this study considers the lived experience of two sustainability coordinators. Grounded theory provides an interpretational context for the participants' interactions with each other and the professional development process. Through a year long professional development experience - commencing with an intense, participatory two-day workshop -the participants discussed challenges they faced with integrating facilities into school curriculum and institutionalizing a culture of sustainability. </p><p> Two major needs were identified in this study. For successful sustainability initiatives, a hybrid model that melds top-down and bottom-up approaches offers the requisite mix of administrative support, ground level buy-in, and excitement vis-&agrave;-vis sustainability. Second, related to this hybrid approach, K-12 sustainability coordinators ideally need administrative capabilities with access to decision making, while remaining connected to students in a meaningful way, either directly in the classroom, as a mentor, or through work with student groups and projects.</p>