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

    Praxis essen Wissenschaft auf? Von den Gefahren des Gelingens einer transdisziplinären Zusammenarbeit

    Nemnich, C. & Fischer, D., 2016, Transdisziplinär forschen - zwischen Ideal und gelebter Praxis: Hotspots, Geschichten, Wirkungen. Defila, R. & Di Giulio, A. (eds.). Frankfurt am Main: Campus Verlag, p. 145-187 43 p.

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

  2. Published

    UN Global Action Programme and Education for Sustainable Development: A Critical Appraisal of the Evidence Base

    Fischer, D., Aubrecht, E. L., Brück, M., Ditges, L., Gathen, L., Jahns, M., Petersmann, M., Rau, J. & Wellmann, C., 24.11.2015, In: Discourse and Communication for Sustainable Education. 6, 1, p. 5-20 16 p., 1.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  3. Published

    20 years of performance measurement in sustainable supply chain management: What has been achieved?

    Beske-Janssen, P., Johnson, M. & Schaltegger, S., 14.09.2015, In: Supply Chain Management. 20, 6, p. 664-680 17 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsScientific review articlesResearch

  4. Published
  5. Published

    Die Botschaft von BNE ist zwar herausfordernd, aber doch ganz einfach

    Michelsen, G., 2015, UN-Dekade mit Wirkung - 10 Jahre "Bildung für nachhaltige Entwicklung" in Deutschland. Vey, C. (ed.). Bonn: Deutsche UNESCO-Kommission, p. 130-133 4 p.

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

  6. Published

    Weltaktionsprogramm "Bildung für nachhaltige Entwicklung"

    Michelsen, G. & Kruse-Graumann, L., 2015, Gesucht: Weltumweltpolitik: Herausforderungen im Anthropozän. Simonis, U. E., Leitschuh, H., Michelsen, G., Sommer, J. & Weizsäcker, E. U. V. (eds.). Stuttgart: S. Hirzel Verlag, p. 199-205 7 p. (Jahrbuch Ökologie; vol. 2016).

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

  7. Published

    Bildung für nachhaltige Entwicklung

    Michelsen, G., 10.2015, Menschenrechte, Bildung und Entwicklung - Bestandsaufnahme ihrer Zusammenhänge. Lin Hasenkamp, M.-L. & Brosig, M. (eds.). Opladen, Berlin, Toronto: Verlag Babara Budrich, p. 169-188 20 p. 10

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

  8. Published

    In Search of the Dominant Rationale in Sustainability Management: Legitimacy- or Profit-Seeking?

    Schaltegger, S. & Hörisch, J., 01.10.2017, In: Journal of Business Ethics. 145, 2, p. 259-276 18 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  9. Published

    Öffentliches Wirtschaftsrecht

    Oberrath, J.-D., Schmidt, A. & Schomerus, T., 2015, 4. ed. Stuttgart: Boorberg-Verlag. 128 p. (Arbeitsbücher Wirtschaftsrecht)

    Research output: Books and anthologiesCompendium/lecture notesEducation

  10. Published

    Design It! Solving Sustainability Problems by Applying Design Thinking

    Fischer, M., 2015, In: GAIA. 24, 3, p. 174-178 5 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

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