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

    Transforming knowledge systems for life on Earth: Visions of future systems and how to get there

    Fazey, I., Schäpke, N., Caniglia, G., Hodgson, A., Kendrick, I., Lyon, C., Page, G., Patterson, J., Riedy, C., Strasser, T., Verveen, S., Adams, D., Goldstein, B., Klaes, M., Leicester, G., Linyard, A., McCurdy, A., Ryan, P., Sharpe, B., Silvestri, G., Abdurrahim, A. Y., Abson, D., Adetunji, O. S., Aldunce, P., Alvarez-Pereira, C., Amparo, J. M., Amundsen, H., Anderson, L., Andersson, L., Asquith, M., Augenstein, K., Barrie, J., Bent, D., Bentz, J., Bergsten, A., Berzonsky, C., Bina, O., Blackstock, K., Boehnert, J., Bradbury, H., Brand, C., Böhme, J., Bøjer, M. M., Carmen, E., Charli-Joseph, L., Choudhury, S., Chunhachoti-ananta, S., Cockburn, J., Colvin, J., Connon, I. L. C., Cornforth, R., Cox, R. S., Cradock-Henry, N., Cramer, L., Cremaschi, A., Dannevig, H., Day, C. T., de Lima Hutchison, C., de Vrieze, A., Desai, V., Dolley, J., Duckett, D., Durrant, R. A., Egermann, M., Elsner (Adams), E., Fremantle, C., Fullwood-Thomas, J., Galafassi, D., Gobby, J., Golland, A., González-Padrón, S. K., Gram-Hanssen, I., Grandin, J., Grenni, S., Lauren Gunnell, J., Gusmao, F., Hamann, M., Harding, B., Harper, G., Hesselgren, M., Hestad, D., Heykoop, C. A., Holmén, J., Holstead, K., Hoolohan, C., Horcea-Milcu, A. I., Horlings, L. G., Howden, S. M., Howell, R. A., Huque, S. I., Inturias Canedo, M. L., Iro, C. Y., Ives, C. D., John, B., Joshi, R., Juarez-Bourke, S., Juma, D. W., Karlsen, B. C., Kliem, L., Kläy, A., Kuenkel, P., Kunze, I., Lam, D., Lang, D. J., Larkin, A., Light, A., Luederitz, C., Luthe, T., Maguire, C., Mahecha-Groot, A. M., Malcolm, J., Marshall, F., Maru, Y., McLachlan, C., Mmbando, P., Mohapatra, S., Moore, M. L., Moriggi, A., Morley-Fletcher, M., Moser, S., Mueller, K. M., Mukute, M., Mühlemeier, S., Naess, L. O., Nieto-Romero, M., Novo, P., ÓBrien, K., O'Connell, D. A., O'Donnell, K., Olsson, P., Pearson, K. R., Pereira, L., Petridis, P., Peukert, D., Phear, N., Pisters, S. R., Polsky, M., Pound, D., Preiser, R., Rahman, M. S., Reed, M. S., Revell, P., Rodriguez, I., Rogers, B. C., Rohr, J., Nordbø Rosenberg, M., Ross, H., Russell, S., Ryan, M., Saha, P., Schleicher, K., Schneider, F., Scoville-Simonds, M., Searle, B., Sebhatu, S. P., Sesana, E., Silverman, H., Singh, C., Sterling, E., Stewart, S. J., Tàbara, J. D., Taylor, D., Thornton, P., Tribaldos, T. M., Tschakert, P., Uribe-Calvo, N., Waddell, S., Waddock, S., van der Merwe, L., van Mierlo, B., van Zwanenberg, P., Velarde, S. J., Washbourne, C. L., Waylen, K., Weiser, A., Wight, I., Williams, S., Woods, M., Wolstenholme, R., Wright, N., Wunder, S., Wyllie, A. & Young, H. R., 01.12.2020, In: Energy Research and Social Science. 70, 18 p., 101724.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  2. Published

    A pluralistic and integrated approach to action-oriented knowledge for sustainability

    Caniglia, G., Lüderitz, C., von Wirth, T., Fazey, I., Martín-López, B., Hondrila, K., König, A., Wehrden, H., Schäpke, N., Laubichler, M. D. & Lang, D. J., 02.2021, In: Nature Sustainability. 4, 2, p. 93-100 8 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsScientific review articlesResearch

  3. Published

    Water Policy and Governance in Transition: The EU Water Framework Directive

    Kochskämper, E. & Newig, J., 2021, Water Resilience: Management and Governance in Times of Change. Baird, J. & Plummer, R. (eds.). Cham: Springer Nature AG, p. 23-40 18 p. (Water Resilience).

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

  4. Published

    Recent developments in microalgal conversion of organic-enriched waste streams

    Solovchenko, A., Lukyanov, A., Aswathanarayana, R. G., Pleissner, D. & Ambati, R. R., 08.2020, In: Current Opinion in Green and Sustainable Chemistry. 24, p. 61-66 6 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsScientific review articlesResearch

  5. Published

    Natural clay as a sorbent to remove pharmaceutical micropollutants from wastewater

    Mahouachi, L., Rastogi, T., Palm, W. U., Ghorbel-Abid, I., Ben Hassen Chehimi, D. & Kümmerer, K., 01.11.2020, In: Chemosphere. 258, 127213.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  6. Published

    Does money "buy" tolerance toward damage-causing wildlife?

    Kansky, R., Kidd, M. & Fischer, J., 03.2021, In: Conservation Science and Practice. 3, 3, 16 p., e262.

    Research output: Journal contributionsConference article in journalResearchpeer-review

  7. Published

    Common opossum population density in an agroforestry system in Bolivia

    Benavides, C., Arce, A. & Pacheco, L. F., 01.09.2020, In: Acta Amazonica. 50, 3, p. 246-251 6 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  8. Published

    A cross-scale assessment of productivity–diversity relationships

    Craven, D., van der Sande, M. T., Meyer, C., Gerstner, K., Bennett, J. M., Giling, D. P., Hines, J., Phillips, H. R. P., May, F., Bannar-Martin, K. H., Chase, J. M. & Keil, P., 01.11.2020, In: Global Ecology and Biogeography. 29, 11, p. 1940-1955 16 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  9. Published

    Current practice of assessing students' sustainability competencies: a review of tools

    Redman, A., Wiek, A. & Barth, M., 01.01.2021, In: Sustainability Science. 16, 1, p. 117-135 19 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsScientific review articlesResearch

  10. Published

    Making education for sustainable development happen in elementary schools: the role of teachers

    Timm, J.-M. & Barth, M., 02.01.2021, In: Environmental Education Research. 27, 1, p. 50-66 17 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review