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. 2011
  2. Published

    Higher Education for Sustainable Development: Looking Back and Moving Forward

    Barth, M. (Editor), Rieckmann, M. (Editor) & Sanusi, Z. A. (Editor), 2011, Bad Homburg: VAS Verlag für Akademische Schriften. 180 p. (Higher Education for Sustainability; vol. 5)

    Research output: Books and anthologiesConference proceedingsResearch

  3. Published

    Hochschulen und nachhaltige Entwicklung in der Region

    Adomßent, M., 2011, Hochschulen für eine nachhaltige Entwicklung : Nachhaltigkeit in Forschung, Lehre und Betrieb. Bonn: Deutsche UNESCO-Kommission, p. 52-53 2 p.

    Research output: Contributions to collected editions/worksContributions to scientific reportsResearch

  4. Published

    Hochwasser- und Küstenschutz unter Klimawandelbedingungen als besonderes Aufgabengebiet von Partizipation und Kooperation

    Grunenberg, H. & Knolle, M., 2011, Nachhaltige Gesellschaft : Welche Rolle für Partizipation und Kooperation?. Heinrichs, H., Kuhn, K. & Newig, J. (eds.). Wiesbaden: VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften, p. 167-185 19 p.

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

  5. Published

    Identifizieren, Verbinden, Verkaufen: Einleitendes zur Maschine Facebook, ihren Konsequenzen und den Beiträgen in diesem Band

    Leistert, O. & Röhle, T., 2011, Generation Facebook: Über das Leben im Social Net. Leistert, O. & Röhle, T. (eds.). Bielefeld: transcript Verlag, p. 7 - 31 25 p.

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

  6. Published

    Impact of the tsunami on the coastal ecosystems of the Andaman Islands, India

    Ramchandran, R., Ramachandran, P., Senthilkumar, B. & Urban, B., 2011, The Indian Ocean Tsunami: The Global Response to a Natural Disaster. Karan, P. P. & Subbiah, S. P. (eds.). The University Press of Kentucky, p. 113-126 14 p.

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

  7. Published

    Impactos do engajamento das empresas com seus stakeholders

    Spitzeck, H., Hansen, E. G. & Alt, E., 2011, In: DOM a revista da Fundação Dom Cabral. 5, 15, p. 28-33 6 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesTransfer

  8. Published

    Implications of Material Flow Cost Accounting for Life Cycle Engineering

    Viere, T., Prox, M., Möller, A. & Schmidt, M., 2011, Glocalized Solutions for Sustainability in Manufacturing: Proceedings of the 18th CIRP International Conference on Life Cycle Engineering, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany, May 2nd - 4th, 2011. Hesselbach, J. & Herrmann, C. (eds.). 1 ed. Springer Verlag, p. 652-656 5 p.

    Research output: Contributions to collected editions/worksArticle in conference proceedingsResearchpeer-review

  9. Published

    Income distribution and willingness to pay for ecosystem services

    Baumgärtner, S., Drupp, M., Munz, J., Meya, J. & Quaas, M. F., 2011, 13th Annual BIOECON Conference “Resource Economics, Biodiversity Conservation and Development: 11-13 September 2011, programme and papers. Bioecon, 21 p.

    Research output: Contributions to collected editions/worksArticle in conference proceedingsResearchpeer-review

  10. Published

    Indikatoren der Bildung für nachhaltige Entwicklung - ein Werkstattbericht: Bildung, Wissenschaft, Kultur, Kommunikation

    Michelsen, G., Adomßent, M., Bormann, I., Burandt, S. & Fischbach, R., 2011, Bonn: Deutsche UNESCO-Kommission. 98 p.

    Research output: Books and anthologiesMonographsResearch

  11. Published

    Informationspflichten Privater nach dem Umweltinformationsgesetz: Anmerkung zum Beschluss des VG Frankfurt vom 7. Juni 2011

    Schomerus, T., 2011, In: ZUR - Zeitschrift für Umweltrecht. 22, 9, p. 440 - 442 3 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsNotes on court decisionsTransfer