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

    Genesis and dating of Late Pleistocene-Holocene soil sediment sequences from the Lüneburg Heath, Northern Germany

    Urban, B., Kunz, A. & Gehrt, E., 03.06.2011, In: E&G Quaternary Science Journal. 60, 1, p. 6-26 21 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  2. Published

    Online Peer-to-Peer Lending: A Literature Review

    Bachmann, A., Becker, A., Bürckner, D., Hilker, M., Kock, F., Lehmann, M., Tiburtius, P. & Funk, B., 08.2011, In: Journal of Internet Banking and Commerce. 16, 2, p. 1-18 18 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsScientific review articlesResearch

  3. Published

    Nachhaltigkeit kommunizieren: eine konzeptionelle Rahmung

    Godemann, J. & Michelsen, G., 2011, In: Medien-Journal. 35, 1, p. 1-68 68 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  4. Published

    Kompetenzen und Bildung für nachhaltige Entwicklung

    Michelsen, G., 2009, Globalisierung fordert politische Bildung: Politisches Lernen im globalen Kontext. Overwien, B. & Rathenow, H.-F. (eds.). Opladen ; Farmington Hills, MI: Verlag Babara Budrich, p. 75-86 12 p.

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

  5. Published

    Grüner Umbau: Neue Allianzen für die Umwelt

    Altner, G. (Editor), Leitschuh, H. (Editor), Michelsen, G. (Editor), Simonis, U. E. (Editor) & Weizsäcker, E. U. V. (Editor), 2011, Stuttgart: S. Hirzel Verlag. 246 p. (Jahrbuch Ökologie; vol. 2012)

    Research output: Books and anthologiesCollected editions and anthologiesResearch

  6. Published

    Sustainablity Communication - An Introduction

    Michelsen, G. & Godemann, J., 2011, Sustainability Communication: Interdisciplinary Perspectives and Theoretical Foundation. Godemann, J. & Michelsen, G. (eds.). Dordrecht u.a.: Springer Science+Business Media, p. 3-12 10 p.

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

  7. Published

    Sustainability Communication: Interdisciplinary Perspectives and Theoretical Foundation

    Godemann, J. & Michelsen, G. (Editor), 2011, Dordrecht u.a.: Springer Science+Business Media. 236 p.

    Research output: Books and anthologiesCollected editions and anthologiesResearch

  8. Published

    Nachhaltigkeit lernen: Ein Lesebuch

    Michelsen, G., Siebert, H. & Lilje, J., 2011, VAS Verlag für Akademische Schriften. 122 p.

    Research output: Books and anthologiesMonographsTransfer

  9. Published

    Continental-scale ecology versus landscape-scale case studies

    Fischer, J., Hanspach, J. & Hartel, T., 10.2011, In: Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment. 9, 8, p. 430-430 1 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsComments / Debate / ReportsResearch

  10. Published

    The conservation value of oil palm plantation estates, smallholdings and logged peat swamp forest for birds

    Azhar, B., Lindenmayer, D., Wood, J., Fischer, J., Manning, A., McElhinny, C. & Zakaria, M., 15.12.2011, In: Forest Ecology and Management. 262, 12, p. 2306–2315 10 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review