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

    Renewable Energy Resources: How can Science Education Foster an Appropriate Understanding?

    Hüfner, S., Niebert, K. & Abels, S., 2018, Electronic Proceedings of the ESERA 2017 Conference: Research, Practice and Collaboration in Science Education. Finlayson, O., McLoughlin, E., Erduran, S. & Childs, P. (eds.). Dublin: European Science Education Research Association, p. 1076-1089 14 p.

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

  2. Published

    Rent Control, Market Segmentation, and Misallocation: Causal Evidence from a Large-Scale Policy Intervention

    Mense, A., Michelsen, C. & Kholodilin, K. A., 03.2023, In: Journal of Urban Economics. 134, 22 p., 103513.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  3. Published

    Repeated sampling detects gene flow in a flightless ground beetle in a fragmented landscape

    Drees, C., Hüfner, S., Matern, A., Nève, G. & Aßmann, T., 01.02.2011, In: Hereditas. 148, 1, p. 36-45 10 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  4. Published

    Repensar la conexión con la naturaleza a través de las emociones

    Castro, A. J., Otamendi-Urroz, I., Quintas-Soriano, C., Suárez Alonso, M. L., Vidal-Abarca, M. R. & Martín-López, B., 08.06.2023, In: Ecosistemas. 32, especial, 3 p., 2502.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  5. Published

    Reply to: Plant traits alone are good predictors of ecosystem properties when used carefully

    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., 03.2023, In: Nature Ecology and Evolution. 7, 3, p. 335-336 2 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsComments / Debate / ReportsResearch

  6. Published

    Repowering: Hindernisse und Lösungsmöglichkeiten

    Schomerus, T. (Editor) & Degenhart, H. (Editor), 2010, Baden-Baden: Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG. 89 p. (Lüneburger Schriften zum Wirtschaftsrecht; no. 15)

    Research output: Books and anthologiesCollected editions and anthologiesResearch

  7. Published

    Repowering von Windanlagen in Deutschland: aktuelle Entwicklungen

    Runge, K., 2006, Handbuch Energiemanagement: Bd. 1:. Beck, H.-P., Brandt, E. & Salander, C. (eds.). Heidelberg: C.F. Müller

    Research output: Contributions to collected editions/worksContributions to collected editions/anthologiesResearch

  8. Published

    Representation of dissolved organic carbon in the JULES land surface model (vn4.4-JULES-DOCM)

    Nakhavali, M., Friedlingstein, P., Lauerwald, R., Tang, J., Chadburn, S., Camino-Serrano, M., Guenet, B., Harper, A., Walmsley, D., Peichl, M. & Gielen, B., 12.02.2018, In: Geoscientific Model Development. 11, 2, p. 593-609 17 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  9. Published

    Reprint of: Tree-tree interactions and crown complementarity: the role of functional diversity and branch traits for canopy packing

    Hildebrand, M., Perles-Garcia, M. D., Kunz, M., Härdtle, W., von Oheimb, G. & Fichtner, A., 01.09.2021, In: Basic and Applied Ecology. 55, p. 53-63 11 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  10. Published

    Reprint of Advancing the integration of corporate sustainability measurement, management and reporting

    Maas, K., Schaltegger, S. & Crutzen, N., 10.11.2016, In: Journal of Cleaner Production. 136, Part A, p. 1-4 4 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review