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

    Doing Gender – Doing Space – Doing Body: Feministische Kritiken an der De/Ökonomisierung von ‚Natur/en‘ – Entwicklung einer Forschungsperspektive

    Hofmeister, S., Mölders, T. & Onnen, C., 22.01.2018, In: Open Gender Journal. 2, 20 p., 14.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  2. Published

    The pace of range expansion: a long-term study on the flightless ground beetle Carabus hortensis (Coleoptera: Carabidae)

    Völler, E., Boutaud, E. & Assmann, T., 01.02.2018, In: Journal of Insect Conservation. 22, 1, p. 163-169 7 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  3. Published

    How Participatory Should Environmental Governance Be? Testing the Applicability of the Vroom-Yetton-Jago Model in Public Environmental Decision-Making

    Lührs, N., Jager, N. W., Challies, E. & Newig, J., 01.02.2018, In: Environmental Management. 61, 2, p. 249-262 14 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  4. Published

    Networking for the environment: The impact of environmental orientation on start-ups’ networking frequency and network size

    Dickel, P., Hörisch, J. & Ritter, T., 01.04.2018, In: Journal of Cleaner Production. 179, April 2018, p. 308-316 9 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  5. Published

    Patients' experiences in a guided Internet- and App-based stress intervention for college students: A qualitative study

    Fleischmann, R. J., Harrer, M., Zarski, A. C., Baumeister, H., Lehr, D. & Ebert, D. D., 01.06.2018, In: Internet Interventions. 12, p. 130-140 11 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  6. Published

    Correction to Neighbourhood stories: role of neighbour identity, spatial location and order of arrival in legume and non-legume initial interactions

    Weidlich, E. W. A., Faget, M. & Temperton, V. M., 01.03.2018, In: Plant and Soil. 424, 1-2, p. 183-185 3 p.

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

  7. Published

    Sustainability competencies in teacher education: Making teacher education count in everyday school practice

    Bürgener, L. & Barth, M., 10.02.2018, In: Journal of Cleaner Production. 174, January 2018, p. 821 - 826 6 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesTransferpeer-review

  8. Published

    Was wollen Kinder und Jugendliche in Bezug auf Nachhaltigkeit und Konsum wissen, wie kommunizieren sie und wie informieren sie sich? Eine Literaturanalyse

    Fischer, D., Grunenberg, H. & Ruckelshauß, T., 2017, Lüneburg: Universität Lüneburg, Institut für Umweltkommunikation (INFU), 45 p. (INFU-Diskussionsbeiträge; no. 40).

    Research output: Working paperWorking papers

  9. Published

    Biodiversity-multifunctionality relationships depend on identity and number of measured functions

    Meyer, S. T., Ptacnik, R., Hillebrand, H., Bessler, H., Buchmann, N., Ebeling, A., Eisenhauer, N., Engels, C., Fischer, M., Halle, S., Klein, A. M., Oelmann, Y., Roscher, C., Rottstock, T., Scherber, C., Scheu, S., Schmid, B., Schulze, E. D., Temperton, V. M., Tscharntke, T., Voigt, W., Weigelt, A., Wilcke, W. & Weisser, W. W., 01.01.2018, In: Nature Ecology and Evolution. 2, 1, p. 44-49 6 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  10. Published

    Global assessment of the non-equilibrium theory of rangelands: Revisited and refined

    Engler, J. O. & von Wehrden, H., 01.01.2018, In: Land Use Policy. 70, p. 479 - 484 6 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review