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

    § 62 Anforderungen an den Umgang mit wassergefährdenden Stoffen

    Sanden, J., 2014, Beck'scher Online-Kommentar Umweltrecht. Giesberts, L. & Reinhardt, M. (eds.). Ed. 34 ed. München: C.H. Beck Verlag

    Research output: Contributions to collected editions/worksContributions in collection of commentariesResearch

  2. Published

    § 45 Reinhaltung von Küstengewässern

    Sanden, J., 2014, Beck'scher Online-Kommentar Umweltrecht. Giesberts, L. & Reinhardt, M. (eds.). Ed. 34 ed. München: C.H. Beck Verlag

    Research output: Contributions to collected editions/worksContributions in collection of commentariesResearch

  3. Published

    Exposure of the Irish population to PBDEs in food: consideration of parameter uncertainty and variability for risk assessment

    Trudel, D., Tlustos, C., von Goetz, N., Scheringer, M., Reichert, P. & Hungerbühler, K., 07.2011, In: Food additives & contaminants. Part A, Chemistry, analysis, control, exposure & risk assessment. 28, 7, p. 943-955 13 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  4. Published

    Facing complexity through informed simplifications: a research agenda for aquatic exposure assessment of nanoparticles

    Praetorius, A., Arvidsson, R., Molander, S. & Scheringer, M., 01.01.2013, In: Environmental Sciences: Processes & Impacts. 15, 1, p. 161-168 8 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  5. Published

    Emissions of polychlorinated biphenyls, polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins, and polychlorinated dibenzofurans during 2010 and 2011 in Zurich, Switzerland

    Bogdal, C., Müller, C. E., Buser, A. M., Wang, Z., Scheringer, M., Gerecke, A. C., Schmid, P., Zennegg, M., Macleod, M. & Hungerbühler, K., 07.01.2014, In: Environmental Science & Technology. 48, 1, p. 482-490 9 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  6. Published

    Emissions of decamethylcyclopentasiloxane from Chicago

    Buser, A. M., Bogdal, C., MacLeod, M. & Scheringer, M., 01.07.2014, In: Chemosphere. 107, p. 473-475 3 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  7. Published

    Food packaging and migration of food contact materials: will epidemiologists rise to the neotoxic challenge?

    Muncke, J., Myers, J. P., Scheringer, M. & Porta, M., 01.07.2014, In: Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. 68, 7, p. 592-594 3 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  8. Published

    Do persistent organic pollutants reach a thermodynamic equilibrium in the global environment?

    Schenker, S., Scheringer, M. & Hungerbühler, K., 06.05.2014, In: Environmental Science & Technology. 48, 9, p. 5017-5024 8 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  9. Published

    Comment on "The environmental photolysis of perfluorooctanesulfonate, perfluorooctanoate, and related fluorochemicals"

    Wang, Z., Cousins, I. T. & Scheringer, M., 01.03.2015, In: Chemosphere. 122, p. 301-303 3 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsComments / Debate / ReportsResearch

  10. Published

    Estimation of physicochemical properties of 52 non-PBDE brominated flame retardants and evaluation of their overall persistence and long-range transport potential

    Kuramochi, H., Takigami, H., Scheringer, M. & Sakai, S.-I., 01.09.2014, In: The Science of The Total Environment. 491-492, 9, p. 108-117 10 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review