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

    Intrinsic, instrumental and relational values behind nature’s contributions to people preferences of nature visitors in Germany

    Kachler, J., Felipe-Lucia, M. R., Isaac, R., Bonn, A. & Martín-López, B., 07.2024, In: Ecosystems and People. 20, 1, 17 p., 2342361.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  2. Published

    Setting the agenda for climate assemblies. Trade-offs and guiding principles

    Pfeffer, J., 06.2024, In: Climate Policy. 24, 6, p. 843-858 16 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  3. Published

    Sustainable human resource management and job satisfaction—Unlocking the power of organizational identification: A cross-cultural perspective from 54 countries

    CSREM 2024 - Sustainable human resource management and job satisfaction & Wojtczuk-Turek, A., 09.2024, In: Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management. 31, 5, p. 4910-4932 23 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  4. Published

    Longitudinal prediction of primary school children's COVID-related future anxiety in the second year of the pandemic in Germany

    Voltmer, K. & von Salisch, M., 08.05.2024, In: PLoS ONE. 19, 5, 16 p., e0302065.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  5. Published

    Bridging senses of place and mobilities scholarships to inform social-ecological systems governance: A research agenda

    Gottwald, S., Kołodyńska, I., Buchecker, M., Di Masso, A., Fagerholm, N., Frąckowiak, M., Hakkarainen, V., Kajdanek, K., Lau, U., Manzo, L. C., Ortiz-Przychodzka, S., Pearson, J., Quinn, T., Rogowski, Ł., Stedman, R., Stewart, W. P., Trąbka, A., Williams, D. R., von Wirth, T., Zawieska, J. & Raymond, C. M., 01.06.2024, In: Applied Geography. 167, 13 p., 103286.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  6. Published

    Public understanding of climate change terminology in Germany

    Wege, L., de Bruin, W. B. & Kause, A., 15.05.2024, In: Climatic Change. 177, 5, 27 p., 81.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesTransferpeer-review

  7. Published

    Student agency in a sustainability-oriented assessment process: exploring expansive learning in student-led rubric co-design

    King, J., Brundiers, K. & Fischer, D., 2024, In: Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education. 49, 6, p. 851-863 13 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  8. Published

    The social–ecological ladder of restoration ambition

    Frietsch, M., Pacheco-Romero, M., Temperton, V. M., Kaplin, B. A. & Fischer, J., 09.2024, In: Ambio. 53, 9, p. 1251-1261 11 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  9. Published

    Assessing Drifting Fish Aggregating Device (dFAD) Abandonment under International Marine Pollution Law

    Schatz, V., 01.07.2024, In: Transnational Environmental Law. 13, 2, p. 243-263 21 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  10. Published

    ReSurveyEurope: A database of resurveyed vegetation plots in Europe

    ReSurveyEurope, Knollová, I., Chytrý, M., Bruelheide, H., Dullinger, S., Haider, S. & Härdtle, W., 01.03.2024, In: Journal of Vegetation Science. 35, 2, 18 p., e13235.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review