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

    Ecological risks associated with the destruction of chemical weapons: Proceedings of the NATO ARW on Ecological Risks Associated with the Destruction of Chemical Weapons, Lüneburg, Germany, from 22-26 October 2003

    Kolodkin, V. M. (Editor) & Ruck, W. (Editor), 01.01.2006, Dordrecht: Springer. 338 p. (NATO security through science series)

    Research output: Books and anthologiesConference proceedingsResearch

  2. Published

    Ecological quality as a coffee quality enhancer. A review

    Torrez, V., Benavides-Frias, C., Jacobi, J. & Speranza, C. I., 01.02.2023, In: Agronomy for Sustainable Development. 43, 1, 34 p., 19.

    Research output: Journal contributionsScientific review articlesResearch

  3. Published

    Ecological justice in agricultural systems: An evaluation of success factors and barriers by the example of the Philippine farmer network MASIPAG

    Glotzbach, S., 01.2012, Lüneburg: Institut für Volkswirtschaftslehre der Universität Lüneburg, 28 p. (Working Paper Series in Economics; no. 225).

    Research output: Working paperWorking papers

  4. Published

    Ecological impacts of oil palm agriculture on forest mammals in plantation estates and smallholdings

    Azhar, B., Lindenmayer, D. B., Wood, J. T., Fischer, J. & Zakaria, M., 05.2014, In: Biodiversity and Conservation. 23, 5, p. 1175-1191 17 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  5. Published

    Ecological impact of Camelia sativa and Thlaspi arvense cultivation in a summer double cropping system in Northern Germany

    Walmsley, D. & Klein, A.-M., 2013, Building bridges in ecology, linking systems, scales and disciplines: Book of Abstracts . Gehrmann, G. (ed.). 2013 ed. Gesellschaft für Ökologie, p. 26-27 1 p. (Verhandlungen der Gesellschaft für Ökologie; no. 43).

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

  6. Published

    Ecological Impact Assessment

    Lenhart, H., Ahrendt, K., Burkhard, B., Garthe, S., Gloe, D., Kühn, W., Mendel, B., Nerge, P., Opitz, S. & Schmidt, A. S., 2010, Analyzing Coastal and Marine Changes: Offshore Wind Farming as a Case Study: Zukunft Küste - Coastal Futures, Synthesis Report. Lange, M., Burkhard, B., Garthe, S., Gee, K., Kannen, A., Lenhart, H. & Windhorst, W. (eds.). Geesthacht: GKSS-Forschungszentrum Geesthacht , p. 52-54 3 p. (LOICZ Research & Studies; vol. 36).

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

  7. Published

    Ecological features facilitating spread of alien plants along Mediterranean mountain roads

    Santoianni, L. A., Innangi, M., Varricchione, M., Carboni, M., La Bella, G., Haider, S. & Stanisci, A., 11.2024, In: Biological Invasions. 26, 11, p. 3879-3899 21 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  8. Published

    Ecological-economic viability as a criterion of strong sustainability under uncertainty

    Quaas, M. F. & Baumgärtner, S., 15.05.2009, In: Ecological Economics. 68, 7, p. 2008-2020 13 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  9. Published

    Ecological-economic viability as a criterion of strong sustainability under uncertainty

    Baumgärtner, S. & Quaas, M. F., 2007, Lüneburg: Institut für Volkswirtschaftslehre der Universität Lüneburg, 37 p. (Working paper series in economics; no. 67).

    Research output: Working paperWorking papers

  10. Published

    Ecological-economic trade-offs of Diversified Farming Systems - A review

    Rosa-Schleich, J., Loos, J., Mußhoff, O. & Tscharntke, T., 01.06.2019, In: Ecological Economics. 160, p. 251-263 13 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsScientific review articlesResearch