School of Sustainability
Organisational unit: Research School
- Centre for Sustainability Management (CSM)
- Institute of Ecology
- Institute of Ethics and Transdisciplinary Sustainability Research
- Institute of Sustainability Governance
- Institute of Sustainability Material Flows and Circularity
- Institute of Sustainability Psychology
- Institute of Sustainable Chemistry
- Social-Ecological Systems Institute (SESI)
- Sustainability Education and Transdisciplinary Research Institute
Organisation profile
Sustainability has many facets. Inter- and transdisciplinary research and teaching characterize the School of Sustainability. Scientists in our research projects work together in the laboratory, on the heath, in the grassland, in the classroom, with the city administration, with farmers, with non-governmental organizations, with companies, with students in the lecture hall and of course at their desks.
Furthermore, we work with regional and national political actors, e.g. ministries, as well as international organizations, e.g. UNEP, UNESCO, EU. We are part of national and international bodies, e.g. sustainability advisory boards of companies, member of the German Sustainability Award, World Biodiversity Council (IPBES), in order to contribute to social change with scientific findings.
Main research areas
Vision
Sustainability science investigates on a theoretical, conceptual and empirical level how to promote sustainable development and how to find and implement effective solutions for current social and ecological challenges. The aim is to create a more sustainable future.
Sustainability researchers are called upon to take responsibility for their research, which is anchored in existing scientific knowledge and methods and serves to make the world a better place for everyone.
Mission
We promote change towards a sustainable future by developing theories, concepts and practices of inclusive education for sustainability, research, governance and management.
We acknowledge the diversity and dynamics of values, norms and behaviour and contribute with transdisciplinary methods to ensuring that tensions and differences between different disciplines, methods, topics and standards are fruitfully taken up and used with productive compromises and further developments towards sustainable development.
Principles
The School of Sustainability is guided by the normative concepts of ecological system integrity and social and economic justice.
Ecological system integrity refers to the safeguarding of life-support systems, as well as the maintenance of the well-being of life on Earth.
With social and economic justice we strive for a world in which all people can fulfil their potential without endangering system integrity and the well-being of others.
Information about the School
The School of Sustainability includes...
... ca. 25 professors
... ca. 100 research assistants
... ca. 1000 students in Bachelor and Master courses
In various inter- and transdisciplinary projects we are constantly researching and working together on changes and solutions for current challenges.
Umfang des Informationsanspruchs gegenüber dem BMU nach dem IFG und dem UIG hinsichtlich Daten, die der Bundesaufsicht nach dem Atom- und Strahlenschutzrecht vorliegen, sowie sensibler und sicherheitsrelevanter Daten nach der Störfall-Verordnung (Stsch 70001)
Schomerus, T. (Project manager, academic)
01.04.08 → 31.03.10
Project: Research
LLE: Local Living Economies - Buy Local Initiativen und nachhaltige Regionalentwicklung
Lang, D. J. (Project manager, academic), Keeler, L. W. (Project manager, academic), Luthardt, P. (Project manager, academic), Al-Badri, A. (Project staff), Blauth, C. (Project staff), Bohr, K. (Project staff), Brodersen, L. (Project staff), Cammann, J. (Project staff), Haas, J. (Project staff), Johannsen, L. (Project staff), Klemmer, E.-M. (Project staff), Koltzau, J. (Project staff), Kurwan, J. (Project staff), Livonius, M. (Project staff), Nicklas, H. (Project staff), Rathgens, J. (Project staff), Schmidt, N. (Project staff), Seufert, J. (Project staff), Thiede, C. (Project staff), Vonnahme, M. (Project staff) & Weiss, F. (Project staff)
01.04.15 → 01.04.16
Project: Teaching
College Studien in der Praxis- KLIMAWERK Energieagentur GmbH & Co. KG
Hellmann, K. (Project manager, academic), Lang, F. J. (Project staff) & Schrader, R. (Project staff)
01.04.12 → 30.09.12
Project: Practical Project
Arbeit ist nur das halbe Leben - ein Konzept der politischen Bildung in der Bildungspraxis
Offen, S. (Project manager, academic) & Schmidt, J. (Project manager, academic)
01.01.09 → 31.12.11
Project: Transfer (R&D project)
Verringerung von unerwünschten Effekten beim Einsatz von Desinfektionsmitteln im Krankenhaus durch Chemical Leasing
Kümmerer, K. (Project manager, academic) & Streek, M. (Partner, non-academic)
German Federal Environmental Foundation
01.11.10 → 02.04.13
Project: Research
Nawi-In: Naturwissenschaftlichen Unterricht inklusiv gestalten - Kompetenzentwicklung von Lehramtsstudierenden für und mit der Praxis
Abels, S. (Project manager, academic), Barth, M. (Project manager, academic), Egger, D. (Project staff), Brauns, S. (Project staff) & Sellin, K. (Project staff)
Federal Ministry of Education and Research
01.04.18 → 30.09.21
Project: Research
WaterScale: WaterScale - Skalenprobleme von Environmental Governance am Beispiel der Institutionalisierung von Flussgebietsmanagement durch die EG-Wasserrahmenrichtlinie
Newig, J. (Project manager, academic) & Moss, T. (Partner)
15.06.10 → 31.12.13
Project: Research
BMU-Fachdialog: Fachdialog "Nachhaltigkeit in der Unternehmensberichterstattung"
Schaltegger, S. (Project manager, academic) & Herzig, C. (Project staff)
01.07.04 → 31.12.04
Project: Research
iCon: Analysing plant invasions in their environmental context
Haider, S. (Project manager, academic), Milanović, M. (Project staff) & Kühn, I. (Project manager, academic)
01.01.21 → 31.12.23
Project: Research
C-MADEnS: Consortium for Modelling and Analysis of Decentralised Energy Storage
Upham, P. (Project manager, academic)
01.10.15 → 01.04.19
Project: Research
Alumninetzwerk Nachhaltiges Wirtschaften in Lateinamerika
Schaltegger, S. (Project manager, academic) & Klinke, T. (Project staff)
18.04.07 → 10.08.07
Project: Other
Halboffene Weidelandschaft Höltigbaum
Härdtle, W. (Project manager, academic)
10.03.00 → 26.03.09
Project: Research
Sozial-ökologische Forschungsperspektiven für eine "Nachhaltige Informationsgesellschaft"
Möller, A. (Project manager, academic), Rolf, A. (Project manager, academic) & Mandel, R. (Project manager, academic)
01.01.00 → 30.09.01
Project: Research
SAUBER+: Innovative Konzepte und Technologien für die separate Behandlung von Abwasser aus Einrichtungen des Gesundheitswesens (Teilprojekt 3)
Kümmerer, K. (Project manager, academic), Olsson, O. (Project staff), Michelsen, G. (Partner) & Pinnekamp, J. (Coordination)
Federal Ministry of Education and Research
01.12.11 → 31.05.15
Project: Research
FSM ILT: International Leadership Training (ILT) Sustainability Management: Management - Trainingsmodule
Schaltegger, S. (Project manager, academic), Seidl, N. (Project staff) & Görtz, K. (Project staff)
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH
17.11.10 → 19.12.12
Project: Transfer (professional training)
Biomasse: Development of a practice-proven method to simultaneously dehydrate and pelletize agricultural biomass
Schaltegger, S. (Project manager, academic) & Lüdeke-Freund, F. (Project staff)
German Federal Environmental Foundation
07.12.06 → 14.11.09
Project: Research
Food Policy Councils: Levers for Sustainability Transformation?
Sieveking, A. (Project manager, academic) & Schomerus, T. (Project manager, academic)
01.05.16 → 30.04.20
Project: Dissertation project
Influence of degradation-resistent antibiotics and their transformation products from veterinary medicine on herbivorous and nectarivorous insects
Bolek, R. (Project manager, academic), Kümmerer, K. (Project manager, academic), Klein, A.-M. (Project manager, academic), Leonhardt, S. (Project manager, academic) & Pufal, G. (Project manager, academic)
01.03.13 → 28.02.14
Project: Research
Aboveground multitrophic plant-insect interactions in a Chinese subtropical forest (FOR 891 - Teilprojekt 09)
Klein, A.-M. (Project manager, academic), Blüthgen, N. (Project manager, academic) & Bruelheide, H. (Project manager, academic)
01.02.11 → 31.07.13
Project: Research
SolarSPELL: Educating those most at risk and hardest to reach: Actionable Sustainability Education Across the Pacific with SolarSPELL offline digital libraries
Barth, M. (Project manager, academic)
01.09.19 → 31.08.20
Project: Research
EdFCA: Educating Future Change Agents - Higher Education as a Motor of the Sustainability Transformation
Barth, M. (Project manager, academic), Lang, D. J. (Project manager, academic), Halberstadt, J. (Project manager, academic) & Wiek, A. (Project staff)
Ministry of Science and Culture of the State of Lower Saxony
01.03.16 → 30.04.20
Project: Research
DigiTaL - Teilprojekt 06: Skills for a Digital Future. Entwicklung eines studienbegleitenden Formats zur Reflexion des eigenen Lern- und Entwicklungsprozesses für Studierende
Abels, S. (Project manager, academic) & Dablé, N. (Coordination)
01.08.21 → 31.12.25
Project: Teaching
Lenkungsinstrumente zur Kapazitätserweiterung der Grenzkuppelstellen für leistungsgebundene Energie - Eine Analyse des Spannungsfeldes von nationalem und europäischen Energierecht
Barchewitz, P. (Project manager, academic) & Schomerus, T. (Project manager, academic)
07.02.08 → 27.06.11
Project: Dissertation project
FSM ILT II: International Leadership Training (ILT) Sustainability Management: Management - Trainingsmodule II
Schaltegger, S. (Project manager, academic), Görtz, K. (Project staff) & Ross, S. (Project staff)
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH
22.09.11 → 30.09.13
Project: Transfer (professional training)
Ecological entomology, plant-insect interactions, herbivore-predator interactions, multitrophic complexity, decomposition, biodiversity research
Aßmann, T. (Project manager, academic) & Schuldt, A. (Project staff)
01.02.11 → 24.09.14
Project: Research
InteGrid: InteGrid - Demonstration of smart grid, storage and system integration technologies with increasing share of renewables: distribution system
Bögel, P. M. (Project manager, academic), Escudero Guirado, C. (Project manager, academic), Valor, C. (Project manager, academic), Giersiepen, A. N. (Project staff), Koronen, C. (Project staff), Mäkivierikko, A. (Project manager, academic), Nilsson, A. E. (Project staff) & Shahrokni, H. (Project staff)
01.02.16 → 30.06.18
Project: Research
Digital geSEHEN: Digital geSEHEN – Einsatz von digitalen Medien im naturwissenschaftlichen Unterricht am Beispiel des Themas „Sehen“
Stinken-Rösner, L. (Project manager, academic)
01.01.20 → 31.03.20
Project: Transfer (professional training)
Monitoring gentechnisch veränderter Organismen. Supranationale und deutsche Rechtsfragen des Monitorings transgener Pflanzen zur Erforschung hypothetischer Risiken
Regenbrecht, G. (Project manager, academic) & Schomerus, T. (Project manager, academic)
25.04.04 → 17.01.05
Project: Dissertation project
The potential spread of collaborative consumption practices in France and Germany
Huber, A. (Project staff), Heinrichs, H. (Project staff), Wilhite, H. (Project staff) & Douzou, S. (Partner, non-academic)
01.03.14 → …
Project: Dissertation project
Untersuchungen zum Abbau siliziumorganischer Verbindungen mithilfe von Labor-Experimenten
Grabitz, E. (Project staff), Olsson, O. (Project manager, academic) & Kümmerer, K. (Project manager, academic)
01.10.16 → 30.11.20
Project: Dissertation project
PlanFoL: Auf die Planung kommt es an (PlanFoL)
Abels, S. (Project manager, academic) & Hofer, E. (Project manager, academic)
01.01.23 → 30.06.26
Project: Research
Biodiversity: Business and Biodiversity Initiative
Schaltegger, S. (Project manager, academic) & Beständig, U. (Project staff)
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH
01.06.09 → 04.10.11
Project: Research
NaGe: Befördern Nachhaltigkeitskompetenzen Frauen an die Spitze?
Hofmeister, S. (Project manager, academic), Thiem, A. (Project staff), Katz, C. (Project staff), Moths, K. (Project staff) & Heilmann, S. (Project staff)
Federal Ministry of Education and Research
01.03.11 → 31.12.14
Project: Research
Die Bremischen Häfen in der Globalen Politischen Ökonomie
Möller, S. (Project manager, academic)
01.03.20 → 31.12.20
Project: Teaching
Verfassungsrechtliche Schutzpflichten zur Bekämpfung des Bienensterbens
Böttinger, J. (Project manager, academic) & Schomerus, T. (Project manager, academic)
02.03.16 → 30.09.20
Project: Dissertation project
Gewinnung und Nutzung von Lebenszyklusdaten im betrieblichen Kontext
Möller, A. (Project manager, academic)
01.08.08 → 03.03.11
Project: Research
PostDoc Academy: 3. Kursdurchlauf an der Leuphana
Lang, D. J. (Project manager, academic)
01.08.20 → 31.03.22
Project: Research
Social Entrepreneurs: Social Entepreneurs as Evolutionary Agents in the German Institutional Landscape
Beckmann, M. (Project manager, academic), Ney, S. (Partner) & Gräbnitz, D. (Project staff)
01.04.10 → 20.12.12
Project: Research
Ressourcenpolitik und Geschlechtergerechtigkeit in der Globalisierung
Hofmeister, S. (Project manager, academic) & Bauhardt, C. (Partner)
01.04.10 → 31.03.13
Project: Research
Nachhaltigkeitsstrategie Niedersachsen
Heinrichs, H. (Project manager, academic), Hartmann, E. (Project staff) & Redenius, P. (Project staff)
Ministry of Science and Culture of the State of Lower Saxony
01.01.22 → 31.12.25
Project: Research
Mechanisms of soil erosion, soil properties and Ecoscape analysis as a function of species richness and species composition in subtropical forests
Aßmann, T. (Project manager, academic), Kühn, P. (Project manager, academic), Scholten, T. (Project manager, academic) & Schmidt, K. (Project manager, academic)
19.02.14 → 12.04.19
Project: Research
EBEB: European Business Environmental Barometer
Schaltegger, S. (Project manager, academic), Wagner, M. (Project staff), Dyllick, T. (Partner) & Ytterhus, B. (Project manager, academic)
01.05.01 → 28.02.02
Project: Research
A Change in Perspective - The Role of Photography in Environmental Communication
Brosien, P. N. (Project manager, academic) & Heinrichs, H. (Project staff)
01.05.20 → …
Project: Dissertation project
LFB-Labs-digital: Schülerlabore als Ort der Lehrkräftefortbildung in der digitalen Welt (BMBF)
Abels, S. (Project manager, academic)
01.04.23 → 30.09.25
Project: Research
Regionalisierte sozio-technische und -kulturelle Erfolgsfaktoren für ein nachhaltiges Wasser- und Landmanagment
Katz, C. (Project manager, academic)
01.05.09 → 31.12.09
Project: Research
EDGE: Evaluating the Delivery of participatory environmenal Governance using an Evidence-based research design
Newig, J. (Project manager, academic), Jager, N. W. (Project staff) & Challies, E. (Project manager, academic)
01.04.11 → 31.03.16
Project: Research
Can Subjective Indicators Make Sustainability Assessment More Community Relevant? The Important Role of the Stakeholders’ Participation and the Use of Indicators Set towards the Localization of Sustainable Development
Hatakeyama, T. (Project manager, academic) & Heinrichs, H. (Project manager, academic)
01.10.16 → 28.02.22
Project: Dissertation project
Waldbiodiversitätsexperiment TP SP 6
Staab, M. (Project manager, academic)
01.04.25 → 31.10.26
Project: Research
The role of herbivory in mediating ecosystem functions in species-rich forests
Schuldt, A. (Project manager, academic)
01.08.14 → 31.07.16
Project: Research