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

    Doing Gender – Doing Space – Doing Body: Feministische Kritiken an der De/Ökonomisierung von ‚Natur/en‘ – Entwicklung einer Forschungsperspektive

    Hofmeister, S., Mölders, T. & Onnen, C., 2018, Materialität/en und Geschlecht: Beiträge zur 6. Jahrestagung der Fachgesellschaft Geschlechterstudien e.V. . Palm, K., Jähnert, G., Völker, S. & Grenz, S. (eds.). Berlin: Zentrum für Transdisziplinäre Geschlechterstudien, Humboldt Universität Berlin, p. 63-81 19 p.

    Research output: Contributions to collected editions/worksArticle in conference proceedingsResearch

  2. Published

    Do guided internet-based interventions result in clinically relevant changes for patients with depression? An individual participant data meta-analysis

    Karyotaki, E., Ebert, D. D., Donkin, L., Riper, H., Twisk, J., Burger, S., Rozental, A., Lange, A., Williams, A. D., Zarski, A. C., Geraedts, A., van Straten, A., Kleiboer, A., Meyer, B., Ünlü Ince, B. B., Buntrock, C., Lehr, D., Snoek, F. J., Andrews, G., Andersson, G., Choi, I., Ruwaard, J., Klein, J. P., Newby, J. M., Schröder, J., Laferton, J. A. C., Van Bastelaar, K., Imamura, K., Vernmark, K., Boß, L., Sheeber, L. B., Kivi, M., Berking, M., Titov, N., Carlbring, P., Johansson, R., Kenter, R., Perini, S., Moritz, S., Nobis, S., Berger, T., Kaldo, V., Forsell, Y., Lindefors, N., Kraepelien, M., Björkelund, C., Kawakami, N. & Cuijpers, P., 01.07.2018, In: Clinical Psychology Review. 63, p. 80-92 13 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsScientific review articlesResearch

  3. Published

    Does tree architectural complexity influence the accuracy of wood volume estimates of single young trees by terrestrial laser scanning?

    Hess, C., Bienert, A., Härdtle, W. & von Oheimb, G., 30.10.2015, In: Forests. 6, 11, p. 3847-3867 21 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesTransfer

  4. Published

    Does sustainable intensification offer a pathway to improved food security for aquatic agricultural system-dependent communities?

    Attwood, S. J., Park, S., Loos, J., Philipps, M., Mills, D. & McDougall, C., 17.02.2017, Sustainable Intensification in Smallholder Agriculture: An integrated systems research approach. London: Routledge Taylor & Francis Group, p. 71-87 17 p. (Earthscan food and agriculture series).

    Research output: Contributions to collected editions/worksChapterpeer-review

  5. Published

    Does storytelling for sustainability work? An experiment

    Sundermann, A., Fischer, D., Fücker, S., Hanss, D. & Selm, H., 08.12.2022, Narrating Sustainability through Storytelling. Fischer, D., Fücker, S., Selm, H. & Sundermann, A. (eds.). Taylor and Francis Inc., p. 26-44 19 p.

    Research output: Contributions to collected editions/worksChapterpeer-review

  6. Published

    Does stakeholder participation improve environmental governance? Evidence from a meta-analysis of 305 case studies

    Newig, J., Jager, N. W., Challies, E. R. T. & Kochskämper, E., 01.09.2023, In: Global Environmental Change : Human and Policy Dimensions. 82, 11 p., 102705.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  7. Published

    Does SMS-support make a difference? Effectiveness of a two-week online-training to overcome procrastination. A randomized controlled trial

    Eckert, M., Ebert, D. D., Lehr, D., Sieland, B. & Berking, M., 05.07.2018, In: Frontiers in Psychology. 9, JUL, 13 p., 1103.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  8. Published

    Does Sharing with Neighbours Work? Accounts of Success and Failure from Two German Housing Experimentations

    Huber, A., 20.10.2022, In: Housing, Theory and Society. 39, 5, p. 524-554 31 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  9. Published

    Does problem complexity matter for environmental policy delivery? How public authorities address problems of water governance

    Kirschke, S., Newig, J., Völker, J. & Borchardt, D., 01.07.2017, In: Journal of Environmental Management. 196, p. 1-7 7 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  10. Published

    Does outcome expectancy predict outcomes in online depression prevention? Secondary analysis of randomised-controlled trials

    Thielecke, J., Kuper, P., Ebert, D., Cuijpers, P., Smit, F., Riper, H., Lehr, D. & Buntrock, C., 02.2024, In: Health Expectations. 27, 1, 12 p., e13951.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review