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. 2020
  2. Published

    Meditating for the Planet: Effects of a Mindfulness-Based Intervention on Sustainable Consumption Behaviors

    Geiger, S. M., Fischer, D., Schrader, U. & Grossman, P., 01.11.2020, In: Environment and Behavior. 52, 9, p. 1012-1042 31 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  3. Published

    Natural clay as a sorbent to remove pharmaceutical micropollutants from wastewater

    Mahouachi, L., Rastogi, T., Palm, W. U., Ghorbel-Abid, I., Ben Hassen Chehimi, D. & Kümmerer, K., 01.11.2020, In: Chemosphere. 258, 127213.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  4. Published

    Neighbourhood‐mediated shifts in tree biomass allocation drive overyielding in tropical species mixtures

    Guillemot, J., Kunz, M., Schnabel, F., Fichtner, A., Madsen, C. P., Gebauer, T., Härdtle, W., von Oheimb, G. & Potvin, C., 01.11.2020, In: New Phytologist. 228, 4, p. 1256-1268 13 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  5. Published

    The erosion of relational values resulting from landscape simplification

    Riechers, M., Balázsi, Á., Betz, L., Jiren, T. S. & Fischer, J., 01.11.2020, In: Landscape Ecology. 35, 11, p. 2601-2612 12 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  6. Published

    What are the ingredients for food systems change towards sustainability? - Insights from the literature

    Weber, H., Pöggel, K., Eakin, H., Fischer, D., Lang, D. J., Wehrden, H. & Wiek, A., 01.11.2020, In: Environmental Research Letters. 15, 11, 17 p., 113001.

    Research output: Journal contributionsScientific review articlesResearch

  7. Published

    Handelsbeschränkungen und Patentschutz für Impfstoffe: Europa- und völkerrechtliche Aspekte

    Bäumler, J. & Terhechte, J. P., 19.11.2020, In: Neue Juristische Wochenschrift. 73, 48, p. 3481-3487 7 p., 48.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesTransfer

  8. Published

    Media representation of environmental issues in Malaysia: Newspapers and environment non-government organisation newsletters

    Saleh, M. S. M. & Heinrichs, H., 30.11.2020, In: Pacific Journalism Review. 26, 2, p. 118-131 14 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesTransferpeer-review

  9. Published

    Circular value creation architectures: Make, ally, buy, or laissez-faire

    Hansen, E. G. & Revellio, F., 12.2020, In: Journal of Industrial Ecology. 24, 6, p. 1250-1273 24 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  10. Published

    Governing global telecoupling toward environmental sustainability

    Newig, J., Challies, E., Cotta, B., Lenschow, A. & Schilling-Vacaflor, A., 12.2020, In: Ecology and Society. 25, 4, p. 1-17 17 p., 21.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  11. Published

    Plant traits alone are poor predictors of ecosystem properties and long-term ecosystem functioning

    van der Plas, F., Schröder-Georgi, T., Weigelt, A., Barry, K., Meyer, S., Alzate, A., Barnard, R. L., Buchmann, N., de Kroon, H., Ebeling, A., Eisenhauer, N., Engels, C., Fischer, M., Gleixner, G., Hildebrandt, A., Koller-France, E., Leimer, S., Milcu, A., Mommer, L., Niklaus, P. A., Oelmann, Y., Roscher, C., Scherber, C., Scherer-Lorenzen, M., Scheu, S., Schmid, B., Schulze, E. D., Temperton, V., Tscharntke, T., Voigt, W., Weisser, W., Wilcke, W. & Wirth, C., 12.2020, In: Nature Ecology & Evolution. 4, 12, p. 1602-1611 10 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review