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. 2024
  2. Published

    Combining multiple investigative approaches to unravel functional responses to global change in the understorey of temperate forests

    Landuyt, D., Perring, M. P., Blondeel, H., De Lombaerde, E., Depauw, L., Lorer, E., Maes, S. L., Baeten, L., Bergès, L., Bernhardt-Römermann, M., Brūmelis, G., Brunet, J., Chudomelová, M., Czerepko, J., Decocq, G., den Ouden, J., De Frenne, P., Dirnböck, T., Durak, T., Fichtner, A., Gawryś, R., Härdtle, W., Hédl, R., Heinrichs, S., Heinken, T., Jaroszewicz, B., Kirby, K., Kopecký, M., Máliš, F., Macek, M., Mitchell, F. J. G., Naaf, T., Petřík, P., Reczynska, K., Schmidt, W., Standovár, T., Swierkosz, K., Smart, S. M., Van Calster, H., Vild, O., Waller, D. M., Wulf, M. & Verheyen, K., 01.2024, In: Global Change Biology. 30, 1, 14 p., e17086.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  3. Published

    Hill–Chao numbers allow decomposing gamma multifunctionality into alpha and beta components

    Chao, A., Chiu, C.-H., Hu, K.-H., van der Plas, F., Cadotte, M. W., Mitesser, O., Thorn, S., Mori, A. S., Scherer-Lorenzen, M., Eisenhauer, N., Bässler, C., Delory, B., Feldhaar, H., Fichtner, A., Hothorn, T., Peters, M. K., Pierick, K., von Oheimb, G. & Müller, J., 01.2024, In: Ecology Letters. 27, 1, 14 p., e14336.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  4. Published

    I share because of who I am: values, identities, norms, and attitudes explain sharing intentions

    Schuster, C., Goseberg, T., Arnold, J. & Sundermann, A., 01.2024, In: Journal of Social Psychology. 164, 2, p. 199-217 19 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  5. Published

    Promoting Subjective Well-Being and a Sustainable Lifestyle in Children and Youth by Strengthening Their Personal Psychological Resources

    Voltmer, K. & von Salisch, M., 01.2024, In: Sustainability. 16, 1, 16 p., 134.

    Research output: Journal contributionsScientific review articlesResearch

  6. Published

    Räumliche Mixturen. (Stadt-)Räumliche Einschreibungen sozial-ökologischer Trennungs- und Vermittlungsverhältnisse in Zeiten der Corona-Pandemie

    Mölders, T. & Hofmeister, S., 01.2024, Urbane Mixturen : Städtebau und Stadtplanung als relationales Handlungsfeld. Peer, C. & Psenner, A. (eds.). Bielefeld: transcript Verlag, p. 216-241 26 p. (Urban studies ).

    Research output: Contributions to collected editions/worksContributions to collected editions/anthologiesResearchpeer-review

  7. Published

    Systematic distributions of interaction strengths across tree interaction networks yield positive diversity–productivity relationships

    Yu, W., Albert, G., Rosenbaum, B., Schnabel, F., Bruelheide, H., Connolly, J., Härdtle, W., von Oheimb, G., Trogisch, S., Rüger, N. & Brose, U., 01.2024, In: Ecology Letters. 27, 1, 11 p., e14338.

    Research output: Journal contributionsComments / Debate / ReportsResearch

  8. Published

    Transformation von Schule durch inklusiven Nawi-Unterricht

    List, F. & Abels, S., 01.2024, Frühe naturwissenschaftliche Bildung: Gesellschaft für Didaktik der Chemie und Physik, Jahrestagung in Hamburg 2023. van Vorst, H. (ed.). Essen: Gesellschaft für Didaktik der Chemie und Physik, p. 714-717 4 p. (Jahrestagung der Gesellschaft für Didaktik der Chemie und Physik; no. 50)(Tagungsband; vol. 44).

    Research output: Contributions to collected editions/worksChapter

  9. Published

    Angehende Lehrpersonen der Primar- und Sekundarstufe gestalten inklusiven naturwissenschaftlichen Unterricht – eine Videostudie mit dem Kategoriensystem inklusiver naturwissenschaftlicher Unterricht (KinU)

    Brauns, S. & Abels, S., 2024, Videographische Forschung zu inklusivem Unterricht: Erziehungswissenschaftliche und fachdidaktische Perspektiven. Wilm, G., Koßmann, R., Böse, S., Fabel-Lamla, M. & Meyer-Jain, C. (eds.). Bad Heilbrunn: Verlag Julius Klinkhardt, p. 210-227 18 p.

    Research output: Contributions to collected editions/worksContributions to collected editions/anthologiesResearchpeer-review

  10. Published

    Art. 9 VO (EU) 2020/852

    Schatz, V. J. & Köster, M., 2024, Frank Fellenberg & Martin Kment (Hrsg.), Taxonomie-VO: Kommentar. 1 ed. München: C.H. Beck Verlag, p. 165-174 10 p.

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

  11. Published

    Assessing Knowledge Cumulation in Earth System Governance Research: Codebook and Aggregation Rules

    Newig, J. & Rose, M., 2024, SSRN Social Science Research Network, 14 p. (SSRN Electronic Journal).

    Research output: Working paperWorking papers

  12. Published

    Chemie für alle: Diversität anerkennen – Barrieren erkennen – Partizipation ermöglichen im Chemieunterricht

    Rott, L., Abels, S., Nehring, A. & Menthe, J., 2024, In: Naturwissenschaft im Unterricht - Chemie. 35, 204, p. 2-9 8 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesTransferpeer-review

  13. E-pub ahead of print

    Defeminizing Sustainability: How to Boost Men’s Motivation for Proenvironmental Behavior

    Hällfritzsch, M., Volpi, L., Daniel, K. G., Somogyi, C., Kause, A., Reese, G. & Loschelder, D. D., 2024, (E-pub ahead of print) In: Motivation Science.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  14. Published

    Evaluating A Teaching-Learning Sequence (TLS) About Acid-Base Reactions In Upper Secondary School

    Krebs, R., Rost, M., Hofer, E. & Lembens, A., 2024, The 15th Conference of the European Science Education Research Association (ESERA): ESERA 2023; Proceedings Book Series I. Sardag, M., Kaya, G. & Sogut, M. (eds.). Ankara: Nobel Academic Publishing, p. 546-558 13 p.

    Research output: Contributions to collected editions/worksArticle in conference proceedingsResearchpeer-review

  15. Accepted/In press

    Exploring Management Control Systems for Biodiversity: Insights from Three Food Companies

    Hübel, C. & Wenzig, J., 2024, (Accepted/In press) In: Social and Environmental Accountability Journal. 31 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  16. Published

    Exploring the “works with nature” pillar of food sovereignty: a review of empirical cases in academic literature

    Benavides-Frias, C., Ortiz Przychodzka, S., Díaz-Reviriego, I., Oteros-Rozas, E., Burke, L. & Hanspach, J., 2024, In: Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems. 48, 3, p. 332-356 25 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsScientific review articlesResearch

  17. Published

    Future ecosystem service provision under land-use change scenarios in southwestern Ethiopia

    Duguma, D. W., Brueck, M., Shumi, G., Law, E., Benra, F., Schultner, J., Nemomissa, S., Abson, D. J. & Fischer, J., 2024, In: Ecosystems and People. 20, 1, 14 p., 2321613.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  18. Published

    Grassroots relational approaches to agricultural transformation in Latin America

    Allen, K. E., Ortiz-Przychodzka, S., Coelho-Junior, M. G., Herrmann, T., Atchley, M., Benra, F., Chavez, V., Darvin, E., McCabe, J., Nahuelhual, L., Rodrigues, C. H. & Muraca, B., 2024, In: Ecosystems and People. 20, 1, 16 p., 2390470.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  19. Accepted/In press

    Greene’s dual-process moral psychology and the modularity of mind

    Bammel, M., 2024, (Accepted/In press) In: Philosophical Psychology. 24 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  20. Published

    Inklusive Gestaltung einer Einheit offenen Forschenden Lernens

    Hofer, E., 2024, Frühe naturwissenschaftliche Bildung : Gesellschaft für Didaktik der Chemie und Physik, Jahrestagung 2023 . van Vorst, H. (ed.). Essen: Gesellschaft für Didaktik der Chemie und Physik, p. 110-113 4 p. (Jahrestagung der Gesellschaft für Didaktik der Chemie und Physik; no. 50)(Tagungsband; vol. 44).

    Research output: Contributions to collected editions/worksArticle in conference proceedingsResearch

  21. Published