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.
Training Programme „Sustainable University Development“
Michelsen, G. (Project manager, academic), Rieckmann, M. (Project manager, academic) & Aguirre, P. (Partner)
01.02.11 → 14.05.11
Project: Transfer (professional training)
Partizipation von Grundschulkindern an der Stadtentwicklung. Kooperation mit Schulen und dem Bezirksamt Hamburg-Bergedorf
Stoltenberg, U. (Project manager, academic)
01.03.05 → 31.10.05
Project: Research
Participation Case Scout
Newig, J. (Project manager, academic) & Rose, M. (Project manager, academic)
01.04.19 → 31.03.22
Project: Other
Vom Öko zum Ökopreneur – Förderung der Gründung von nachhaltigkeitsorientierten Start-ups und KMU bei nachhaltigkeitsbewussten Studierenden und jungen Erwachsenen
Hörisch, J. (Project manager, academic) & Buhr, M. (Project staff)
German Federal Environmental Foundation
01.03.22 → 01.03.25
Project: Research
Disruptive Power Projections
Bäumler, J. (Project manager, academic)
Ministry of Science and Culture of the State of Lower Saxony
07.10.19 → 06.11.19
Project: Other
DigiTaL - Teilprojekt 09: Digitale Lehr-/Lernformate zur Internationalisierung der Master- und Promotionsphase
Abels, S. (Project manager, academic), Soltau, A. (Project manager, academic) & Sundermann, A. (Project staff)
01.08.21 → 31.12.25
Project: Teaching
Environmental Communication among the Media and Environmental NGOs in Malaysia
Mohamad Saleh, M. S. (Project staff) & Heinrichs, H. (Project manager, academic)
01.10.13 → 30.09.16
Project: Dissertation project
Textile-Transformation
Beyers, F. (Project manager, academic) & Heinrichs, H. (Project staff)
01.11.17 → 31.10.20
Project: Dissertation project
Machbarkeitsstudie für das Projekt Nachhaltige Geschäftsmodelle und Wissensnetzwerke - Entwicklung des Wissensnetzwerks Sustainability durch Informationstechnik auf der Grundlage softwaregestützter nachhaltiger Geschäftsmodelle
Rolf, A. (Project manager, academic), Möller, A. (Project manager, academic), Fritzsche, A. (Project manager, academic) & Mandel, R. (Project manager, academic)
01.04.01 → 31.05.02
Project: Research
Analytische Methoden, Konzentrationen und Persistenz ausgewählter Pharmazeutika gegen die Coronavirusinfektion Covid-19 in niedersächsischen Oberflächengewässern
Kümmerer, K. (Project manager, academic)
Lower Saxony Water Management, Coastal Defence and Nature Conservation Agency
01.05.22 → 31.01.24
Project: Research
EML-Symposium: 6th Environmental Management Leadership Symposium
Schaltegger, S. (Project manager, academic), Esders, M. (Project staff) & Harms, D. (Project staff)
01.12.09 → 09.06.11
Project: Research
Mindsets in value-driven conflicts
Schuster, C. (Project manager, academic) & Harinck, F. (Partner)
01.08.20 → 31.07.21
Project: Research
Proyecto de educación ambiental para la conservación del Área Protegida Municipal Bosque de Bolognia
Miranda, O. (Project manager, academic), Benavides Frias, C. (Project manager, academic), Flores, S. (Project manager, academic) & Antezana, N. (Project manager, academic)
01.04.16 → …
Project: Teaching
Problemstoffe in Oberflächengewässern 2
Scheringer, M. (Project manager, academic)
Lower Saxony Water Management, Coastal Defence and Nature Conservation Agency
01.07.15 → 31.12.16
Project: Other
Green Fashion Challenge: Modekultur, Textilien und Nachhaltigkeit
Hörisch, J. (Project manager, academic) & Hampe, L. (Project staff)
01.01.20 → 01.03.21
Project: Other
Slow Fashion: Creative, technical and economic innovations for mass-market offerings in the clothing sector
Schaltegger, S. (Project manager, academic), Kaspar, U. (Project staff) & Freudenreich, B. (Project staff)
Federal Ministry of Education and Research
01.01.15 → 30.06.18
Project: Research
Tagung "Theorie und Praxis Globales Lernen und Bildung für eine nachhaltige Entwicklung - Positionen, Potentiale, Perspektiven"
Michelsen, G. (Project manager, academic), Rieckmann, M. (Coordination) & Otte, I. (Coordination)
Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development
01.01.12 → 31.12.12
Project: Scientific event
ZIM Korrosionssensor: Entwicklung eines Sensors zur kontinuierlichen Überwachung von Korrosions- und Belagbildungsprozessen
Ruck, W. (Project manager, academic) & Opel, O. (Project staff)
01.11.12 → 12.04.16
Project: Transfer (R&D project)
Einsatz von Gamification am Beispiel von Artenschutzsensibilisierung
Abels, S. (Project manager, academic) & Krebs, A.-K. (Project staff)
01.10.23 → 30.09.25
Project: Research
Nachhaltige Raumentwicklung - Wirtschaften in Netzen: Regionalvermarktung und Akteursnetzwerke von der Elbe bis zur Heide
Schrader, R. (Project staff), Lang, F. J. (Project staff), Hofmeister, S. (Project manager, academic) & Burandt, A. (Project staff)
15.10.12 → 28.02.13
Project: Teaching
FOR5501: A social-ecological systems approach to inform ecosystem restoration in rural Africa. Subproject SP1: Biodiversity impacts-local-scale restoration effects in western Rwanda
Temperton, V. (Project manager, academic)
01.05.23 → 30.04.27
Project: Research
Kili-SES (NCP): Demand and values of Nature’s Contributions to People (NCP)
Martín-López, B. (Project manager, academic), Groß, M. (Project staff), Pearson, J. (Project staff) & Julius, J. (Project staff)
01.07.20 → 01.02.26
Project: Research
FoodLabHome
Abels, S. (Project manager, academic) & Pleißner, D. (Project manager, academic)
01.10.18 → 30.09.21
Project: Research
Social Innovation Thinkathon - Innovative teaching and learning concepts: Innovation plus
Hörisch, J. (Project manager, academic) & Fokuhl, M. (Project staff)
Ministry of Science and Culture of the State of Lower Saxony
01.01.21 → 31.12.22
Project: Teaching
ProBioTIC: Promoting Biodiversity through Transdisciplinary Learning Interventions in the Carpathians
Fischer, D. (Project manager, academic)
24.06.24 → 23.06.26
Project: Research
Vereinfachung und Verschlankung des Naturschutzrechts
Schomerus, T. (Project manager, academic)
01.10.07 → 30.04.08
Project: Research
Mycorrhizae in tree diversity effects on ecosystem functioning
Eisenhauer, N. (Project manager, academic), Ferlian, O. (Project manager, academic), Haider, S. (Partner), Bruelheide, H. (Project manager, academic) & Heklau, H. (Project manager, academic)
01.01.17 → …
Project: Research
"Invasive" Arten im Prozessschutz
Kapitza, K. (Project manager, academic) & Hofmeister, S. (Project manager, academic)
01.05.17 → 30.04.20
Project: Dissertation project
Zukunftsfähige Bildung für ErzieherInnen - Entwicklung, Durchführung und Evaluation eines Modellseminars für MultiplikatorInnen für Umweltbildung im Kindergarten in der ErzieherInnenausbildung
Stoltenberg, U. (Project manager, academic) & Schubert, S. (Project staff)
01.03.99 → 01.02.00
Project: Research
2042: 2042: A transformative longitudinal study - energy module 1.0
Bickel, M. (Project staff)
01.04.14 → 01.04.17
Project: Research
Ciência sem Fronteiras Alemanha
Ruck, W. (Project manager, academic)
01.12.11 → 30.06.12
Project: Teaching
Plant-insect interactions, flower traits, and pollination along an experimental plant diversity gradient (FOR 1451 - Teilprojekt 03)
Klein, A.-M. (Project manager, academic)
01.05.10 → 05.05.15
Project: Research
Erfolgsfaktoren der Implementierung digitaler Angebote in der Betrieblichen Gesundheitsförderung am Beispiel Digi Exist (Implement dBGF)
Lehr, D. (Project manager, academic)
01.10.19 → 31.12.24
Project: Research
IndiWa: IndiWa: Indicators for successful land- and water management
Evers, M. (Project manager, academic) & Lange, L. (Project staff)
01.05.09 → 31.07.11
Project: Research
SSCM: Sustainable Supply Chain Management. State of Practice in German Companies
Schaltegger, S. (Project manager, academic) & Harms, D. (Project staff)
15.06.08 → 09.09.10
Project: Research
KRIM: Klimawandel und Öffentlichkeit: Interpretationen des globalen Klimawandels durch die Öffentlichkeit - Konsequenzen für die Risikowahrnehmung und die Implementierung eines vorbeugenden Küstenschutzes
Heinrichs, H. (Project manager, academic)
01.06.01 → 31.05.04
Project: Research
KITA 21: Die Zukunftsgestalter. Wissenschaftliche Begleitung und Evaluation des Modellprojekts KITA21 der S.O.F. Save Our Future – Umweltstiftung
Stoltenberg, U. (Project manager, academic), Gottmann, T. (Project staff), Czerwinski, A. (Project staff) & Bastian, A. (Project staff)
01.03.08 → 25.03.11
Project: Research
ECOPAG: Environmental consequences of participatory governance – A Comparative Meta-Analysis of Case Studies in Environmental Decision-Making
Newig, J. (Project manager, academic) & Adzersen, A. (Project staff)
01.03.09 → 14.04.15
Project: Research
PoST: Processes of Sustainability Transformation (Promotionskolleg)
Barth, M. (Project manager, academic), Kater-Wettstädt, L. (Coordination), Fischer, D. (Partner), Halberstadt, J. (Partner), Schaltegger, S. (Partner), Leventon, J. (Partner), Heinrichs, H. (Partner), Lang, D. J. (Partner), Wiek, A. (Partner), Kümmerer, K. (Partner), von Wehrden, H. (Partner), Vilsmaier, U. (Partner), Rodriguez Aboytes, J. G. (Project staff), Pöggel, K. (Project staff), Hübel, C. (Project staff), Buhr, M. (Project staff), Beyers, F. (Project staff), Laudan, J. (Project staff), Albrecht, S. (Project staff), Weber, H. (Project staff), Rathgens, J. (Project staff), Keβler, L. (Project staff), Hilser, S. (Project staff) & Juarez Bourke, S. (Project staff)
08.12.16 → 31.12.21
Project: Research
Kontroverse Praktiken – Praktiken einer Kontroverse. Schließung von Aushandlungsräumen in der öffentlichen Debatte zur Agro-Gentechnik in Polen
Sulmowski, J. A. (Project manager, academic)
01.12.09 → 22.06.16
Project: Dissertation project
Sustainability assessment of municipal climate protection with a focus on urban energy systems based on systemic analysis and stakeholder perspectives
Bickel, M. (Project manager, academic), Schomerus, T. (Project staff) & Lang, D. J. (Project staff)
01.04.14 → 01.04.17
Project: Dissertation project
Kolleg Didaktik: Digital
Abels, S. (Project manager, academic) & Stinken-Rösner, L. (Project staff)
01.01.20 → 30.09.22
Project: Teaching
sUMMITDiv "Europe’s alpine flora: past, present and future"
Wipf, S. (Project manager, academic), Haider, S. (Partner), Rixen, C. (Partner), Steinbauer, M. J. (Partner), Jurasinski, G. (Partner), Grytnes, J. A. (Partner) & Bjorkmann, A. (Partner)
10.11.14 → 31.12.18
Project: Research
DBU Antibiotikum: Entwicklung eines umweltverträglichen Antibiotikums
Kümmerer, K. (Project manager, academic), Leder, C. (Project staff) & Rastogi, T. (Project staff)
German Federal Environmental Foundation
01.11.14 → 30.04.18
Project: Research
WTW: Well-Being Transformation Wuppertal - An Urban Transition Laboratory for Sustainable Economics
Rose, M. (Partner)
01.05.15 → 30.04.18
Project: Transfer (R&D project)
Pyro-AD: Increasing the energy yield from the integration of anaerobic digestion and pyrolysis
Upham, P. (Project manager, academic)
01.02.13 → 29.09.17
Project: Research
BNE Mobilität: Bildung für eine nachhaltige Entwicklung - am Bespiel des Themenfelds Mobilität
Stoltenberg, U. (Project manager, academic), Gottmann, T. (Project staff), Rieckmann, M. (Project staff) & Schröter, U. (Project staff)
30.08.07 → 16.06.09
Project: Transfer (R&D project)
FSM I: International Leadership Training (ILT) Sustainability Management - Onlinephase Jahrgang I
Schaltegger, S. (Project manager, academic), Dubielzig, F. (Project staff), Seidl, N. (Project staff) & Grimm, J. (Project staff)
01.02.09 → 11.03.10
Project: Transfer (professional training)
Eine Trainingsstudie zum sozialen und emotionalen Lernen im Kindergarten
Salisch, M. (Project manager, academic)
Ministry of Science and Culture of the State of Lower Saxony
01.10.08 → 31.05.12
Project: Research