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The metaphor of talking 'over the fence' underscores the neutrality of tools. Shovels and hoes do the job, but the gardener creates the transformation of earth to food. Each garden requires a unique approach. Such are the tools of education for sustainable development (ESD). Pre-packaged textbooks and toolkits provide definitions and activities, but sometimes leave educators feeling unsure of the subject. Framed in Lave and Wenger's communities of practice and Vygotsky's socio-cultural theories, this self-study seeks to explain how participation in a community of practice has greater transformational capacity for ESD than pre-formulated, off-the-shelf curriculum and instructional materials. When we collaborated to create generative tools for ESD, we engaged in a process of socially constructing knowledge and becoming members of a community. By engaging others in this process, we cultivated the kind of transformation that had been missing from many of our experiences with other ESD materials and conferences.