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

    Food policy councils as loci for practising food democracy? Insights from the case of Oldenburg, Germany

    Sieveking, A., 28.10.2019, In: Politics and Governance. 7, 4, p. 48-58 11 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  2. Published

    Food packaging and migration of food contact materials: will epidemiologists rise to the neotoxic challenge?

    Muncke, J., Myers, J. P., Scheringer, M. & Porta, M., 01.07.2014, In: Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. 68, 7, p. 592-594 3 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  3. Published

    Food forests: Their services and sustainability

    Albrecht, S. & Wiek, A., 10.07.2021, In: Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development . 10, 3, p. 91-105 15 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  4. Published

    Following Health Measures in the Pandemic: A Matter of Values?

    Schuster, C., 14.09.2021, In: Frontiers in Psychology. 12, 17 p., 731799.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  5. Published

    Foliar nitrogen metabolism of adult Douglas-fir trees is affected by soil water availability and varies little among provenances

    Du, B., Kreuzwieser, J., Dannenmann, M., Junker, L. V., Kleiber, A., Hess, M., Jansen, K., Eiblmeier, M., Gessler, A., Kohnle, U., Ensminger, I., Rennenberg, H. & Wildhagen, H., 22.03.2018, In: PLoS ONE. 13, 3, 24 p., e0194684.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  6. Published

    Foliar application of lambda-cyhalothrin modulates root exudate profile and the rhizosphere bacteria community of dioecious Populus cathayana

    He, Y., Zhu, Z., Zhou, Z., Lu, T., Kumar, A. & Xia, Z., 15.11.2022, In: Environmental Pollution. 313, 120123.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  7. Published

    Fokus Mittelstand: Einzelaspekte der Mittelstandsforschung

    Fischer, C. (Editor), Nissen, D. (Editor), Ott, I. (Editor) & Schöning, S. (Editor), 2003, 1. ed. Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang Verlag. 285 p.

    Research output: Books and anthologiesCollected editions and anthologiesResearch

  8. Published

    Focus: (Re)productivity Sustainable relations both between society and nature and between the genders

    Biesecker, A. & Hofmeister, S., 15.06.2010, In: Ecological Economics. 69, 8, p. 1703-1711 9 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  9. Published

    Focusing on enquiry-based science education within a european in-service teacher education programme

    Lembens, A. & Abels, S. J., 2016, Electronic Proceedings of the ESERA 2015 Conference : Science Education Research: Engaging learners for a sustainable future. Lavonen, J., Juuti, K., Lampiselkä, J., Uitto, A. & Hahl, K. (eds.). European Science Education Research Association, Vol. Part 14. p. 2544-2554 11 p.

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

  10. Published

    Focus: Computational history and philosophy of science: Introduction

    Gibson, A., Laubichler, M. D. & Maienschein, J., 01.09.2019, In: Isis. 110, 3, p. 497-501 5 p.

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