Purpose – This study aims to examine how education for sustainable development operates within community-based, non-formal learning contexts in a rural Thai community. It explores how local actors use educational and social practices to promote sustainability and clarifies the role education plays in supporting sustainable community development. Design/methodology/approach – The case study employed a participatory ethnographic approach based on ten days of fieldwork in Nong Bua, Thailand, as part of an international research program. Data were collected through observations, semi-structured interviews with local leaders and reflexive discussions and analyzed using grounded theory, applied both as a coding tool and model-building approach. The analysis focused on the role of education in sustainable community development and how it is enacted in practice. Findings – Sustainability in Nong Bua is expressed through everyday practices of taking care and taking action. Education supports community development by fostering a shared mindset, collaboration and local leadership across formal, non-formal, and informal settings. Community initiatives – such as environmental campaigns, re-education programs and peer mentoring – illustrate how education enables transformative learning through participation, reflection and collective action, turning learning into meaningful social action. Originality/value – The study proposes a conceptual model showing how education fosters sustainability through participatory, culturally grounded and transformative processes. Its originality lies in emphasizing the often-overlooked non-formal and informal initiatives that link learning with lived experience and local culture, advancing understanding of how Community-Based Education for Sustainable Development operates in practice.