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. 2014
  2. Published

    The economic insurance value of ecosystem resilience

    Baumgärtner, S. & Strunz, S., 05.2014, In: Ecological Economics. 101, 6, p. 21-32 12 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  3. Published

    Valorization of industrial waste and by-product streams via fermentation for the production of chemicals and biopolymers

    Koutinas, A. A., Vlysidis, A., Pleissner, D., Kopsahelis, N., Lopez Garcia, I., Kookos, I. K., Papanikolaou, S., Kwan, T. H. & Lin, C. S. K., 21.04.2014, In: Chemical Society Reviews. 43, 8, p. 2587-2627 41 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsScientific review articlesResearch

  4. Published

    Gender and (Un)Sustainability—Can Communication Solve a Conflict of Norms?

    Franz-Balsen, A., 10.04.2014, In: Sustainability. 6, 4, p. 1973-1991 19 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  5. Published

    An Equation with many Variables: Unhiding the Relationship between Sustainability and Investment Performance

    Peylo, B. T. & Schaltegger, S., 03.04.2014, In: Journal of Sustainable Finance & Investment. 4, 2, p. 110-126 17 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  6. Published

    Ratgeber: Erfolgreich beim Gehaltspoker

    Loschelder, D. & Trötschel, R., 03.04.2014, In: Gehirn und Geist. 5, p. 22-27 5 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  7. Published

    Conceptualizing sustainable consumption: Toward an integrative framework

    Di Giulio, A., Fischer, D., Schäfer, M. & Blättel-Mink, B., 01.04.2014, In: Sustainability: Science, Practice, and Policy. 10, 1, p. 45-61 17 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  8. Published

    Die nachhaltigen Zwillinge: Keine soziale Gerechtigkeit ohne ökologische Gerechtigkeit

    Niebert, K., 01.04.2014, In: Theorie und Praxis der sozialen Arbeit. 65, 2, p. 102-113 12 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesTransferpeer-review

  9. Published
  10. Published

    Going beyond efficiency: including altruistic motives in behavioral models for sustainability transitions to address sufficiency.

    Schäpke, N. & Rauschmayer, F., 01.04.2014, In: Sustainability: Science, Practice, and Policy. 10, 1, p. 29 - 44 16 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  11. Published

    Advancing climate compatible development: Lessons from southern Africa

    Stringer, L. C., Dougill, A. J., Dyer, J. C., Vincent, K., Fritzsche, F., Leventon, J., Falcão, M. P., Manyakaidze, P., Syampungani, S., Powell, P. & Kalaba, G., 04.2014, In: Regional Environmental Change. 14, 2, p. 713-725 13 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review