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

    Designing forest biodiversity experiments: General considerations illustrated by a new large experiment in subtropical China

    Bruelheide, H., Nadrowski, K., Aßmann, T., Bauhus, J., Both, S., Buscot, F., Chen, X.-Y., Ding, B.-Y., Durka, W., Erfmeier, A., Gutknecht, J., Guo, D., Guo, L.-D., Härdtle, W., He, J.-S., Klein, A.-M., Kühn, P., Liang, Y., Liu, X., Michalski, S. G., Niklaus, P. A., Pei, K., Scherer-Lorenzen, M., Scholten, T., Schuldt, A., Seidler, G., Trogisch, S., Oheimb, G., Welk, E., Wirth, C., Wubet, T., Yang, X., Yu, M., Zhang, S., Zhou, H., Fischer, M., Ma, K. & Schmid, B., 01.2014, In: Methods in Ecology and Evolution. 5, 1, p. 74-89 16 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  2. Published

    Designing benign molecules: The influence of O-acetylated glucosamine-substituents on the environmental biodegradability of fluoroquinolones

    Lorenz, S., Suaifan, G. & Kümmerer, K., 01.12.2022, In: Chemosphere. 309, Part 2, 136724.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearch

  3. Published

    Designing a Transformative Epistemology of the Problematic: A Perspective for Transdisciplinary Sustainability Research

    Meyer, E. & Peukert, D., 03.07.2020, In: Social Epistemology. 34, 4, p. 346-356 11 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  4. Published

    Design for the triple topline: New tools for Sustainable Commerce

    McDonough, W. & Braungart, M., 01.08.2002, In: Corporate Environmental Strategy. 9, 3, p. 251-258 8 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  5. Published

    Design, construction, and operation of tailored permeable reactive barriers

    Birke, V., Burmeier, H. & Rosenau, D., 01.10.2003, In: Practice Periodical of Hazardous, Toxic, and Radioactive Waste Management. 7, 4, p. 264-280 17 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  6. Published

    Design and evaluation of learning processes in an international sustainability oriented study programme. In search of a new educational quality and assessment method

    Dlouha, J. & Burandt, S., 01.11.2015, In: Journal of Cleaner Production. 106, p. 247-258 12 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  7. Published

    Description of the first instar larvae of three species of Meloe with a key to the triungulins of Central European species of this genus (Coleoptera : Meloidae)

    Lückmann, J. & Scharf, S., 25.06.2004, In: European Journal of Entomology. 101, 2, p. 313-322 10 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  8. Published

    Description of a new species of Anchomenidius Heyden 1880 from the Montes de Leön in north-west Spain (Carabidae)

    Wrase, D. W. & Aßmann, T., 2001, In: Koleopterologische Rundschau. 71, p. 1-9 9 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearch

  9. Published

    Desarrollo sostenible y sus aspectos sociales. Reflexiones sobre el acceso global al conocimiento biomédico. El paradigma de la patente biomédica.

    Guerra González, J., 2009, Retos de la investigación y comercialización de nuevos fármacos.. Romeo Casabona, C. (ed.). Bilbao-Granada: Comares, p. 183-218 35 p.

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

  10. Published

    Der Zoo in einer Bildung für eine nachhaltige Entwicklung

    Stoltenberg, U., 2010, Umweltbildung – Tierisch gut. Ein Praxisleitfaden für Schule, Zoo & Co. Simon, L. & Pyhel, T. (eds.). Müchen: oekom verlag GmbH, p. 20-23 4 p.

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