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.

  1. 2014
  2. Published

    Mindfulness As/Is Care: Biopolitics, Narrative Empathy, and Technoscientific Practices

    Stingl, A. I. & Weiss, S. M., 21.03.2014, The Wiley Blackwell Handbook of Mindfulness. Le, A., Ngnoumen, C. T. & Langer, E. J. (eds.). Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Asia, Vol. 1-2. p. 608-629 22 p.

    Research output: Contributions to collected editions/worksChapterpeer-review

  3. Published

    Das Erbe der Sylvicultura oeconomica. Eine kritische Reflexion des Nachhaltigkeitsbegriffs

    Gottschlich, D. & Friedrich, B., 27.03.2014, In: GAIA. 23, 1, p. 23-29 7 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  4. Published

    Advancing climate compatible development: Lessons from southern Africa

    Stringer, L. C., Dougill, A. J., Dyer, J. C., Vincent, K., Fritzsche, F., Leventon, J., Falcão, M. P., Manyakaidze, P., Syampungani, S., Powell, P. & Kalaba, G., 04.2014, In: Regional Environmental Change. 14, 2, p. 713-725 13 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  5. Published

    Fungal hydrolysis in submerged fermentation for food waste treatment and fermentation feedstock preparation

    Pleissner, D., Kwan, T. H. & Lin, C. S. K., 04.2014, In: Bioresource Technology. 158, p. 48-54 7 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  6. Published

    glUV: A global UV-B radiation data set for macroecological studies

    Beckmann, M., Václavík, T., Manceur, A. M., Šprtová, L., von Wehrden, H., Welk, E. & Cord, A. F., 04.2014, In: Methods in Ecology and Evolution. 5, 4, p. 372-383 12 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  7. Published

    How do individual farmers’ objectives influence the evaluation of rangeland management strategies under a variable climate?

    Jakoby, O., Quaas, M. F., Müller, B., Baumgärtner, S. & Frank, K., 04.2014, In: Journal of Applied Ecology. 51, 2, p. 483-493 11 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  8. Published

    Impacts of seasonal patterns of climate on recurrent fluctuations in tourism demand: Evidence from Aruba

    Ridderstaat, J., Oduber, M., Croes, R., Nijkamp, P. & Martens, P., 04.2014, In: Tourism Management. 41, p. 245-256 12 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  9. Published

    The First-Mover Disadvantage: The Folly of Revealing Compatible Preferences

    Loschelder, D. D., Swaab, R., Trötschel, R. & Galinsky, A. D., 04.2014, In: Psychological Science. 25, 4, p. 954-962 9 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  10. Published

    Wirtschaftsethik - quo vadis? «Ist» und «Soll» eines Bindestxichfachs aus protestantischer Perspektive

    Oermann, N. O., 04.2014, In: Theologische Literaturzeitung. 139, 4, p. 411-426 16 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  11. Published

    Conceptualizing sustainable consumption: Toward an integrative framework

    Di Giulio, A., Fischer, D., Schäfer, M. & Blättel-Mink, B., 01.04.2014, In: Sustainability: Science, Practice, and Policy. 10, 1, p. 45-61 17 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review