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. 2019
  2. Published

    Stories of favourite Places in public spaces: Emotional responses to landscape change

    Riechers, M., Henkel, W., Engbers, M. & Fischer, J., 15.07.2019, In: Sustainability. 11, 14, 11 p., 3851.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesTransferpeer-review

  3. Published

    Becoming a competent teacher in education for sustainable development: Learning outcomes and processes in teacher education

    Brandt, J. O., Bürgener, L., Barth, M. & Redman, A., 19.07.2019, In: International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education. 20, 4, p. 630-653 24 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  4. Published

    Global research landscape of sustainability curricula implementation in higher education

    Weiss, M. & Barth, M., 19.07.2019, In: International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education. 20, 4, p. 570-589 20 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  5. Published

    Cross-National Complementarity of Technology Push, Demand Pull, and Manufacturing Push Policies: The Case of Photovoltaics

    Hansen, E. G., Ludeke-Freund, F., Quan, X. I. & West, J., 08.2019, In: IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management. 66, 3, p. 381-397 17 p., 8424882.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  6. Published

    Potenzialorientierter Naturwissenschaftsunterricht

    Abels, S., 08.2019, Potenzialorientierte Förderung in den Fachdidaktiken. Veber, M., Benölken, R. & Pfitzner, M. (eds.). Münster: Waxmann Verlag, p. 61-78 18 p. (Begabungsförderung : individuelle Förderung und inklusive Bildung ; vol. 7).

    Research output: Contributions to collected editions/worksContributions to collected editions/anthologiesTransferpeer-review

  7. Published

    Differentiating forest types using TerraSAR–X spotlight images based on inferential statistics and multivariate analysis

    Farghaly, D., Urban, B., Sörgel, U. & Elba, E., 01.08.2019, In: Remote Sensing Applications: Society and Environment. 15, 100238.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  8. Published
  9. Published

    Integrated nutrient-weed management under mechanised dry direct seeding (DDS) is essential for sustained smallholder adoption in rainfed lowland rice (Oryza Sativa L.)

    Sengxua, P., Jackson, T., Simali, P., Vial, L. K., Douangboupha, K., Clarke, E., Harnpichitviataya, D. & Wade, L. J., 01.08.2019, In: Experimental Agriculture. 55, 4, p. 509-525 17 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  10. Published

    Vom Luftballon zum Van-de-Graaff-Generator: Experimente zur Elektrostatik mit Augmented-RealityErweiterung

    Stinken-Rösner, L., 01.08.2019, In: Unterricht Physik. 30, 171/172, p. 25-29 5 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesEducationpeer-review

  11. Published

    A greener path for the EU Common Agricultural Policy

    Pe’er, G., Zinngrebe, Y., Moreira, F., Sirami, C., Schindler, S., Müller, R., Bontzorlos, V., Clough, D., Bezák, P., Bonn, A., Hansjürgens, B., Lomba, A., Möckel, S., Passoni, G., Schleyer, C., Schmidt, J. & Lakner, S., 02.08.2019, In: Science. 365, 6452, p. 449-451 3 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsScientific review articlesResearch