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

    Thesen zur Förderung nachhaltigen Konsums in Bildungseinrichtungen

    Michelsen, G., Fischer, D. & Homburg, A., 2013, Nachhaltig konsumieren lernen: Ergebnisse aus dem Projekt BINK "Bildungsinstitutionen und nachhaltiger Konsum". Michelsen, G. & Fischer, D. (eds.). 1. ed. Bad Homburg: VAS Verlag für Akademische Schriften, p. 267-272 6 p. (Innovation in den Hochschulen - Nachhaltige Entwicklung; no. 11).

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

  2. Published

    The Settlement of EEZ Fisheries Access Disputes under UNCLOS: Limitations to Jurisdiction and Compulsory Conciliation

    Schatz, V. J., 2023, In: Goettingen Journal of International Law. 2023, p. 82-118

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  3. Published

    The significance of different health institutions and their respective contributions of active pharmaceutical ingredients to wastewater

    Herrmann, M., Olsson, O., Fiehn, R., Herrel, M. & Kümmerer, K., 01.12.2015, In: Environmental international. 85, p. 61-76 16 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  4. Published

    The significance of tree-tree interactions for forest ecosystem functioning

    Trogisch, S., Liu, X., Rutten, G., Xue, K., Bauhus, J., Brose, U., Bu, W., Cesarz, S., Chesters, D., Connolly, J., Cui, X., Eisenhauer, N., Guo, L., Haider, S., Härdtle, W., Kunz, M., Liu, L., Ma, Z., Neumann, S., Sang, W., Schuldt, A., Tang, Z., van Dam, N. M., von Oheimb, G., Wang, M. Q., Wang, S., Weinhold, A., Wirth, C., Wubet, T., Xu, X., Yang, B., Zhang, N., Zhu, C. D., Ma, K., Wang, Y. & Bruelheide, H., 01.09.2021, In: Basic and Applied Ecology. 55, p. 33-52 20 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  5. Published

    The Social Case as a Business Case: Making Sense of Social Entrepreneurship from an Ordonomic Perspective

    Beckmann, M., 2011, Corporate Citizenship and New Governance: The Political Role of Corporations (Ethical Economy). Pies, I. & Koslowski , P. (eds.). Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer, p. 91-115 25 p.

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

  6. Published

    The social–ecological ladder of restoration ambition

    Frietsch, M., Pacheco-Romero, M., Temperton, V. M., Kaplin, B. A. & Fischer, J., 09.2024, In: Ambio. 53, 9, p. 1251-1261 11 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  7. Published

    The Sphodrina of the southern Levant (Coleoptera: Carabidae, Sphodrini)

    Casale, A. & Assmann, T., 30.06.2017, In: Fragmenta Entomologica. 49, 1, p. 13-24 12 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  8. Published

    The State of Multimedia Mass-Balance Modeling in Environmental science and decision-making

    MacLeod, M., Scheringer, M., McKone, T. E. & Hungerbuhler, K., 15.11.2010, In: Environmental Science & Technology. 44, 22, p. 8360-8364 5 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  9. Published
  10. Published

    The sustainability balanced scorecard: An introduction to the SBSC and its links to accounting and reporting

    Lüdeke-Freund, F. & Schaltegger, S., 2019, Measuring and controlling sustainability: Spanning Theory and Practice. Lindgreen, A., Vallaster, C., Yousafzai, S. & Hirsch, B. (eds.). London: Routledge Taylor & Francis Group, p. 33-53 21 p. (A Gower book).

    Research output: Contributions to collected editions/worksChapterpeer-review