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

    Advancing Decision-Visualization Environments—Empirically informed Design Recommendations

    John, B., Lang, D. J., von Wehrden, H., John, R. & Wiek, A., 01.10.2020, In: Futures. 123, 102614.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  2. Published

    Advancing protected area effectiveness assessments by disentangling social-ecological interactions: A case study from the Luangwa Valley, Zambia

    Frietsch, M., Zafra-Calvo, N., Ghoddousi, A. & Loos, J., 08.2023, In: Conservation Science and Practice. 5, 8, 16 p., e12974.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  3. Published

    Advancing research on ecosystem service bundles for comparative assessments and synthesis

    Meacham, M., Norströma, A. V., Peterson, G. D., Andersson, E., Bennett, E. M., Biggs, R., Crouzat, E., Cord, A. F., Enfors, E., Felipe-Lucia, M. R., Fischer, J., Hamann, M., Hanspach, J., Hicks, C., Jacobs, S., Lavorel, S., Locatelli, B., Martín-López, B., Plieninger, T. & Queiroz, C., 02.2022, In: Ecosystems and People. 18, 1, p. 99-111 13 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  4. Published

    Advancing science on the multiple connections between biodiversity, ecosystems and people

    van Oudenhoven, A. P. E., Martín-López, B., Schröter, M. & de Groot, R., 01.01.2018, In: International Journal of Biodiversity Science, Ecosystem Services and Management. 14, 1, p. 127-131 5 p.

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

  5. Published

    Advancing sustainability through mainstreaming a social-ecological systems perspective

    Fischer, J., Gardner, T. A., Bennett, E. M., Balvanera, P., Biggs, R., Carpenter, S., Daw, T., Folke, C., Hill, R., Hughes, T. P., Luthe, T., Maass, M., Meacham, M., Norström, A. V., Peterson, G., Queiroz, C., Seppelt, R., Spierenburg, M. & Tenhunen, J., 06.2015, In: Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability. 14, p. 144-149 6 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  6. Published

    Advancing sustainable chemistry education: Insights from real-world case studies

    Araripe, E. & Zuin Zeidler, V. G., 12.2024, In: Current Research in Green and Sustainable Chemistry. 9, 10 p., 100436.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  7. Published

    Advancing the Integration of Corporate Sustainability Measurement, Management, and Reporting

    Maas, K., Schaltegger, S. & Crutzen, N., 01.10.2016, In: Journal of Cleaner Production. 133, p. 859-862 4 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  8. Published

    Advancing the Profession – From Environmental to Sustainability Management: Proceedings of the 6th Environmental Management Leadership Symposium, 22nd – 23rd March 2010

    Schaltegger, S. (Editor), 2010, Lueneburg: Centre for Sustainability Management. 52 p.

    Research output: Books and anthologiesConference proceedingsResearch

  9. Published

    Advancing understanding of natural resource governance: a post-Ostrom research agenda

    Cumming, G. S., Epstein, G., Anderies, J. M., Apetrei, C.-I., Baggio, J. A., Bodin, Ö., Chawla, S., Clements, H. S., Cox, M. E., Egli, L., Gurney, G. G., Lubell, M. N., Magliocca, N. R., Morrison, T. H., Müller, B., Seppelt, R., Schlüter, M., Unnikrishnan, H., Villamayor-Tomas, S. & Weible, C. M., 01.06.2020, In: Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability. 44, p. 26-34 9 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsScientific review articlesResearch

  10. Published

    Advisory systems in pluralistic knowledge societies: An indicator-based typology to assess and optimize environmental policy advice

    Heinrichs, H., 2005, Democratization of Expertise?: Exploring Novel Forms of Scientific Advice in Political Decision-Making. Maasen, S. & Weingart, P. (eds.). Springer, p. 41-61 21 p. (Sociology of the Sciences Yearbook).

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