What economic structures might help shift to sustainable living?

What's the economy for, anyway?
The economy is a nesecary part of the infrastructure which describes and helps orchestrate the collective activity of the society it refers to.
Macro economics is, in large part responsible for this mess assuming consumers to have the purpose of consuming.
Micro economics can go some way toward healing, placing worth in people without incorporating the accessories into the assesment of value,
Quality of life needent nesecarly be in keeping with ego centric aspirations. 

How does "the economy" make it hard to make choices for sustainability - a healthy balance between material, social and ecological needs?
The stock market and it's mechanics, I believe, has contributed in a big way to the insensitivity of corporate greed with the requirement that returns to share holders be maximised and the share holder being largely ignorant of strategies employed to achieve that end.
Whether the victim is the environment or people, they need not feel subject to the resulting onus and guilt that is theirs.
Unfortunately supply and demand goes some way toward bestowing value on comodities even including sustaining food and water.
We in the west decadently dispose of waste sufficient to appease another from less fortunate disposition in other parts of the world.
For a sustainable economic scenario a radically new vision is required where those not incorporated into our collective need to be accepted by virtue of the fact that they are members of the great collective called humanity.
Always there will be those unable to meet their own needs by way of incapacity or limited ability, absence of natural resources, so they need extra attention requiring structure and commitment for support.
At one time we cared our own infirmed and elderly.
Now we have places to "put these, this being a byproduct of city living where time rules our lives resulting in anxiety, our being driven to escapist activities as is possible. 

Where have you seen economic structures that actually contribute to greater sustainability?
Low interest banking,
Bartering skills and home grown or made resources.
Organisations providing opportunity for voluntary input contributing to collective welfare enhancing individuals self esteem and sense of purpose.

 In a sustainable economy, how would you and your community meet your needs for the basics and also for those things that make life worth living?                    Bartering in the stead of standard monetary currency,
Refusing to be on the tread mill deeming ones personal attention of too great a value to squander in such a fashion.
Production of consumables locally, shopping locally, the facilitators being content in the knowledge that bigger in not nesecarily better.

The answer to this question has it's response at the grass roots.
We, being subject to the foibles and quirks of human nature tend to measure our worth in terms of the resources at our disposal, the appeal of our image and refinement of accessories.
 Advertisers , knowing this, and, being prepared to say anything to achieve turnover ,with a view to having what we are seeking at a personal level.                  That being aquisition of power and control, produce "what ever" to be dumped upon consumers who they created the market for, to achieve that end.               So, it is we who are the problem and the solution.

Moderate income aspirations,
Being content with who we are with out the enhancing and value adding accessories.

Contentment with the joy of living rather than the security of having

The knowledge of ones personal value , all others having same value as ones self.

Abandonment of the economy of scale where possible, This facilitating aquisition of skills at grass roots level providing desirable value for craft skills and trades professions.