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. Published

    Added value of convection-permitting simulations for understanding future urban humidity extremes: case studies for Berlin and its surroundings

    Langendijk, G. S., Rechid, D., Sieck, K. & Jacob, D., 01.09.2021, In: Weather and Climate Extremes. 33, 14 p., 100367.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  2. Published

    Adding the “e-” to Learning for Sustainable Development: Challenges and Innovation

    Barth, M. & Burandt, S., 13.06.2013, In: Sustainability. 5, 6, p. 2609-2622 14 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  3. Published

    Addressing Complexity in Environmental Management and Governance

    Kirschke, S. & Newig, J., 07.06.2017, In: Sustainability. 9, 6, 18 p., 983.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  4. Published

    Addressing the complexity of water chemistry in environmental fate modeling for engineered nanoparticles

    Sani-Kast, N., Scheringer, M., Slomberg, D., Labille, J., Praetorius, A., Ollivier, P. & Hungerbühler, K., 01.12.2015, In: The Science of The Total Environment. 535, p. 150 - 159 10 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  5. Published

    Adherence to Internet-Based Mobile-Supported Stress Management: A Pooled Analysis of Individual Participant Data From Three Randomized Controlled Trials

    Zarski, A.-C., Lehr, D., Berking, M., Riper, H., Cuijpers, P. & Ebert, D. D., 29.06.2016, In: Journal of Medical Internet Research. 18, 6, 15 p., e146.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  6. Published

    Adolescent growth: Genes, hormones and the peer group. Proceedings of the 20th aschauer Soiree, held at Glücksburg Castle, Germany, 15th to 17th November 2013

    Hermanussen, M., Meitinger, T., Veldhuis, J. D., Low, M. J., Pfäffle, R., Staub, K., Panczak, R., Groth, D., Brabec, M., Von Salisch, M., Loh, C. P. A., Tassenaar, V., Scheffler, C., Mumm, R., Godina, E., Lehmann, A., Tutkuviene, J., Gervickaite, S., Nierop, A. F. M., Holmgren, A., Aßmann, C., Van Buuren, S., Koziel, S., Zadzińska, E., Varela-Silva, I., Vignerová, J., Salama, E., El-Shabrawi, M., Huijic, A., Satake, T. & Bogin, B., 03.2014, In: Pediatric Endocrinology Reviews. 11, 3, p. 341-353 13 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsConference article in journalResearchpeer-review

  7. Published

    Adopting Environmental Management Accounting: EMA as a Value-Adding Activity

    Bennett, M., Rikhardsson, P. & Schaltegger, S., 01.01.2003, Environmental management accounting: Purpose and Progress. Bennett, M., Rikhardsson, P. M. & Schaltegger, S. (eds.). Dordrecht: Springer, p. 1-14 14 p. (Eco-Efficiency in Industry and Science; vol. 12).

    Research output: Contributions to collected editions/worksArticle in conference proceedingsResearch

  8. Published

    Adressierung von Mädchen an außerschulischen naturwissenschaftlichen Lernorten

    Groß, J. & Abels, S., 10.06.2024, Frühe naturwissenschaftliche Bildung: Gesellschaft für Didaktik der Chemie und Physik - Jahrestagung in Hamburg 2023. van Vorst, H. (ed.). Essen: Gesellschaft für Didaktik der Chemie und Physik, p. 678 - 681 4 p. (Jahrestagung der Gesellschaft für Didaktik der Chemie und Physik; no. 50)(Tagungsband; vol. 44).

    Research output: Contributions to collected editions/worksPublished abstract in conference proceedingsResearch

  9. Published

    Advanced Treatment Technologies for Urban Waste Water Reuse

    Fatta-Kassinos, D. (Editor), Dionysiou, D. D. (Editor) & Kümmerer, K. (Editor), 2016, Cham: Springer Nature AG. 305 p. (The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry; vol. 45, no. 1)

    Research output: Books and anthologiesCollected editions and anthologiesResearch

  10. 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