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
  2. Published

    Information Costs, Quality of Information and Stakeholder Involvement - The Necessity of International Standards of Ecological Accounting

    Schaltegger, S., 01.11.1997, In: Eco-Management and Auditing. 4, November, p. 87-97

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  3. Published

    Influences of the chemical structure of entrainers on the activity coefficients in presence of biodiesel

    Mäder, A., Fleischmann, A., Fang, Y., Krahl, J. & Ruck, W., 28.05.2012, In: Journal of Physics: Conference Series. 364, 1, 10 p., 012010.

    Research output: Journal contributionsConference article in journalResearch

  4. Published

    Influences of entrainers to engine oil to improve the drag-out of biodiesel: Experiments and simulations

    Mäder, A., Zimon, A., Fleischmann, A., Munack, A., Ruck, W. & Krahl, J., 01.01.2014, In: Fuel. 117, PART A, p. 488-498 11 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  5. Published

    Influence of solar radiation on mercury emission fluxes from soils

    Bahlmann, E., Ebinghaus, R. & Ruck, W., 2004, In: RMZ - Materials and Geoenvironment. 51, 2, p. 787-790 4 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  6. Published

    Influence of rhizobacterial volatiles on the root system architecture and the production and allocation of biomass in the model grass Brachypodium distachyon (L.) P. Beauv

    Delaplace, P., Delory, B. M., Baudson, C., Mendaluk-Saunier de Cazenave, M., Spaepen, S., Varin, S., Brostaux, Y. & du Jardin, P., 12.08.2015, In: BMC Plant Biology. 15, 1, 15 p., 195.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  7. Published

    Influence of Different Biogenic Fuels on Base Oil Aging

    Singer, A., Ruck, W. & Krahl, J., 13.10.2014, In: SAE Technical Papers. 2014, 7 p., 2014-01-2788.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  8. Published

    Influence of clouds on the photochemical degradation in aqueous phase - II: Field measurements in Brazil and Germany

    Palm, W.-U., Meyer-Grünefeld, M., da Rosa, M. B. & Ruck, W., 2008, Wasser 2008 - Jahrestagung der Wasserchemischen Gesellschaft: 28. - 30. April 2008, Trier ; Kurzreferate. Berlin: GDCh, Wasserchemische Gesellschaft, p. 195-199 5 p.

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

  9. Published

    Influence of clouds on the photochemical degradation in aqueous phase - I: Suitability of metamitron as actinometer

    Palm, W.-U., Meyer-Grünefeld, M. & Ruck, W., 2008, Wasserchemische Gesellschaft, FG in der GDCh: Tagungsband der Jahrestagung der Wasserchemischen Gesellschaft Trier. GDCh, Wasserchemische Gesellschaft, p. 190-194 5 p.

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

  10. Published

    Influence of altitude and longitude on vegetation in the dzungarian gobi and the south-western mongolian altai

    Chuluunkhuyag, O., Chaoyan, L., Treiber, J., Batlai, O., von Wehrden, H., Feller, R. & Wesche, K., 08.07.2021, In: Phytocoenologia. 50, 4, p. 339-369 31 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review