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

    Dynamic norms drive sustainable consumption: Norm-based nudging helps café customers to avoid disposable to-go-cups

    Loschelder, D. D., Siepelmeyer, H., Fischer, D. & Rubel, J. A., 01.12.2019, In: Journal of Economic Psychology. 75, Part A, 102146.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  3. Published

    Es geht auch anders! Nachhaltigkeitspioniere krempeln die Smartphone-Branche um

    Revellio, F. & Norris, S., 01.12.2019, In: Forum Nachhaltig Wirtschaften. 4, p. 102-104 3 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesTransfer

  4. Published

    FragSAD: A database of diversity and species abundance distributions from habitat fragments

    Chase, J. M., Liebergesell, M., Sagouis, A., May, F., Blowes, S. A., Berg, Å., Bernard, E., Brosi, B. J., Cadotte, M. W., Cayuela, L., Chiarello, A. G., Cosson, J.-F., Cresswell, W., Dami, F. D., Dauber, J., Dickman, C. R., Didham, R. K., Edwards, D. P., Farneda, F. Z., Gavish, Y., Gonçalves-Souza, T., Guadagnin, D. L., Henry, M., López-Baucells, A., Kappes, H., Mac Nally, R., Manu, S., Martensen, A. C., McCollin, D., Meyer, C. F. J., Neckel-Oliveira, S., Nogueira, A., Pons, J.-M., Raheem, D. C., Ramos, F. N., Rocha, R., Sam, K., Slade, E., Stireman III, J. O., Struebig, M. J., Vasconcelos, H. & Ziv, Y., 01.12.2019, In: Ecology. 100, 12, 1 p., e02861.

    Research output: Journal contributionsOther (editorial matter etc.)Research

  5. Published

    Key knowledge gaps to achieve global sustainability goals

    Mastrángelo, M. E., Pérez-Harguindeguy, N., Enrico, L., Bennett, E., Lavorel, S., Cumming, G. S., Abeygunawardane, D., Amarilla, L. D., Burkhard, B., Egoh, B. N., Frishkoff, L., Galetto, L., Huber, S., Karp, D. S., Ke, A., Kowaljow, E., Kronenburg-García, A., Locatelli, B., Martín-López, B., Meyfroidt, P., Mwampamba, T. H., Nel, J., Nicholas, K. A., Nicholson, C., Oteros-Rozas, E., Rahlao, S. J., Raudsepp-Hearne, C., Ricketts, T., Shrestha, U. B., Torres, C., Winkler, K. J. & Zoeller, K., 01.12.2019, In: Nature Sustainability. 2, 12, p. 1115-1121 7 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  6. Published

    Multiple plant diversity components drive consumer communities across ecosystems

    Schuldt, A., Ebeling, A., Kunz, M., Staab, M., Guimarães-Steinicke, C., Bachmann, D., Buchmann, N., Durka, W., Fichtner, A., Fornoff, F., Härdtle, W., Hertzog, L., Klein, A.-M., Roscher, C., Schaller, J., von Oheimb, G., Weigelt, A., Weisser, W. W., Wirth, C., Zhang, J., Bruelheide, H. & Eisenhauer, N., 01.12.2019, In: Nature Communications. 10, 1, 11 p., 1460.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  7. Published

    Neighbour species richness and local structural variability modulate aboveground allocation patterns and crown morphology of individual trees

    Kunz, M., Fichtner, A., Härdtle, W., Raumonen, P., Bruelheide, H. & von Oheimb, G., 01.12.2019, In: Ecology Letters. 22, 12, p. 2130-2140 11 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  8. Published

    Phosphorus status, use and recycling in a Chinese peri-urban region with intensive animal husbandry and cropping systems: Results from case study in a Sino-German applied research collaboration project

    Roelcke, M., Heimann, L., Hou, Y., Guo, J., Xue, Q., Jia, W., Ostermann, A., Huaitalla, R. M., Engbers, M., Olbrich, C., Scholz, R. W., Clemens, J., Schuchardt, F., Nieder, R., Liu, X. & Zhang, F., 01.12.2019, In: Frontiers of Agricultural Science and Engineering. 6, 4, p. 388-402 15 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsScientific review articlesResearch

  9. Published

    Purchasing unpackaged food products: An empirical analysis of personal norms and contextual barriers

    Marken, G. H. & Hörisch, J., 01.12.2019, In: NachhaltigkeitsManagementForum. 27, 3-4, p. 165-175 11 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  10. Published

    Root trait plasticity and plant nutrient acquisition in phosphorus limited soil

    Kumar, A., Shahbaz, M., Koirala, M., Blagodatskaya, E., Seidel, S. J., Kuzyakov, Y. & Pausch, J., 01.12.2019, In: Journal of Plant Nutrition and Soil Science. 182, 6, p. 945-952 8 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  11. Published

    The impacts of social-ecological system change on human-nature connectedness: A case study from Transylvania, Romania

    Balázsi, Á., Riechers, M., Hartel, T., Leventon, J. & Fischer, J., 01.12.2019, In: Land Use Policy. 89, 104232.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review