School of Sustainability
Organisational unit: Research School
- Centre for Sustainability Management (CSM)
- Institute of Ecology
- Institute of Ethics and Transdisciplinary Sustainability Research
- Institute of Sustainability Governance
- Institute of Sustainability Material Flows and Circularity
- Institute of Sustainability Psychology
- Institute of Sustainable Chemistry
- Social-Ecological Systems Institute (SESI)
- Sustainability Education and Transdisciplinary Research Institute
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.
- Published
Chagga women´s connections with nature: fostering relationality through arts-based methods
Pearson, J., Massawe, J. J., Mbaruku, A. P., Mramba, E. I., Mwampamba, T. H. & Martín-López, B., 03.2025, In: Ecosystems and People. 21, 1, 21 p., 2459108.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
- Published
Centralized and decentralized utilization of organic residues for lactic acid production
Venus, J., Fiore, S., Demichelis, F. & Pleißner, D., 20.01.2018, In: Journal of Cleaner Production. 172, p. 778-785 8 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
- Published
Centralized and decentral approaches to succeed the 100% energiewende in Germany in the European context – A model-based analysis of generation, network, and storage investments
Kendziorski, M., Göke, L., Hirschhausen, C. V., Kemfert, C. & Zozmann, E., 08.2022, In: Energy Policy. 167, 9 p., 113039.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
- Published
Celebrating Bidleman's 1988 "atmospheric processes"
Galarneau, E., Arey, J., Atkinson, R., Dachs, J., Eisenreich, S., Harner, T., Hites, R. A., Lammel, G., Lohmann, R., Mackay, D., Odabasi, M., Pankow, J. F., Scheringer, M., Swackhamer, D., Tasdemir, Y. & Wania, F., 03.02.2015, In: Environmental Science & Technology. 49, 3, p. 1235 - 1236 2 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Comments / Debate / Reports › Research
- Published
Catch, bycatch and discards of the GalapagosMarine Reserve small-scale handline fishery
Zimmerhackel, J. S., Schuhbauer, A. C., Usseglio, P., Heel, L. C. & Salinas-de-León, P., 09.06.2015, In: PeerJ. 3, 6, 22 p., 995.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
- Published
Catalyzing Transformations to Sustainability in the World's Mountains
the Mountain Sentinels Network, Klein, J. A., Tucker, C. M., Nolin, A. W., Hopping, K. A., Reid, R. S., Steger, C., Grêt-Regamey, A., Lavorel, S., Müller, B., Yeh, E. T., Boone, R. B., Bourgeron, P., Butsic, V., Castellanos, E., Chen, X., Dong, S., Greenwood, G., Keiler, M., Marchant, R., Seidl, R., Spies, T., Thorn, J., Yager, K. & Martín‐López, B., 01.05.2019, In: Earth's Future. 7, 5, p. 547-557 11 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
- Published
Catalysing Change in Higher Education for Sustainable Development: A review of professional development initiatives for university educators; Editorial
Mulà, I., Tilbury, D., Ryan, A., Mader, M., Dlouhá, J., Mader, C., Benayas, J., Dlouhý, J. & Alba, D., 2017, In: International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education. 18, 5, p. 798-820 23 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
- Published
Case Study: the social context of arsenic regulation and exposure in South East Hungary
Mildorfová-Leventon, J., 07.2017, Best Practice Guide on the control of Arsenic in Drinking Water. Bhattacharya, P., Polya, D. A. & Jovanovic, D. (eds.). IWA Publishing, p. 239-246 8 p.Research output: Contributions to collected editions/works › Contributions to collected editions/anthologies › Research › peer-review
- Published
Case study meta-analysis in the social sciences. Insights on data quality and reliability from a large-N case survey
Jager, N. W., Newig, J., Challies, E., Kochskämper, E. & von Wehrden, H., 01.01.2022, In: Research Synthesis Methods. 13, 1, p. 12-27 16 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
- Published
Case study
Meyer, S., Brundiers, K., Mader, M. & Weiser, A., 04.08.2023, Handbook Transdisciplinary Learning. Philip, T. & Schmohl, T. (eds.). Bielefeld: transcript Verlag, p. 31-40 10 p.Research output: Contributions to collected editions/works › Chapter › peer-review