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. 2018
  2. Published

    Photochemistry of 9-acridinecarboxaldehyde in aqueous media

    Palm, W. U., 01.07.2018, In: Photochemical and Photobiological Sciences. 17, 7, p. 964-974 11 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  3. Published

    Sustainability Balanced Scorecards and their Architectures: Irrelevant or Misunderstood?

    Hansen, E. G. & Schaltegger, S., 01.07.2018, In: Journal of Business Ethics. 150, 4, p. 937-952 16 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  4. Published

    The lens of polycentricity: Identifying polycentric governance systems illustrated through examples from the field of water governance

    Schröder, N. J. S., 01.07.2018, In: Environmental Policy and Governance. 28, 4, p. 236-251 16 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  5. Published

    The role of attitudes in technology acceptance management: Reflections on the case of hydrogen fuel cells in Europe

    Bögel, P., Oltra, C., Sala, R., Lores, M., Upham, P., Dütschke, E., Schneider, U. & Wiemann, P., 01.07.2018, In: Journal of Cleaner Production. 188, p. 125-135 11 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  6. Published

    A high-resolution approach for the spatiotemporal analysis of forest canopy space using terrestrial laser scanning data

    Hess, C., Härdtle, W., Kunz, M., Fichtner, A. & von Oheimb, G., 07.2018, In: Ecology and Evolution. 8, 13, p. 6800-6811 12 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  7. Published

    The Science and Practice of Landscape Stewardship, Claudia Bieling, Tobias Plieninger. Cambridge University Press (2017)

    Loos, J., 07.2018, In: Biological Conservation. 223, p. 181-183 3 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsCritical reviewsResearch

  8. Published

    Droege, Peter; Knieling, Jörg (Hrsg.) (2017): Regenerative Räume. Leitbilder und Praktiken nachhaltiger Raumentwicklung

    Heilmann, S., 30.06.2018, In: Raumforschung und Raumordnung. 76, 3, p. 271-273 3 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsCritical reviewsResearch

  9. Published

    Interaction between the barley allelochemical compounds gramine and hordenine and artificial lipid bilayers mimicking the plant plasma membrane

    Lebecque, S., Crowet, J. M., Lins, L., Delory, B. M., Du Jardin, P., Fauconnier, M. L. & Deleu, M., 28.06.2018, In: Scientific Reports. 8, 1, 13 p., 9784.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  10. Published

    Severely burdened individuals do not need to be excluded from internet-based and mobile-based stress management: Effect modifiers of treatment outcomes from three randomized controlled trials

    Weisel, K. K., Lehr, D., Heber, E., Zarski, A. C., Berking, M., Riper, H. & Ebert, D. D., 19.06.2018, In: Journal of Medical Internet Research. 20, 6, e211.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  11. Published

    Second comment on 'The climate mitigation gap: education and government recommendations miss the most effective individual actions'

    Pedersen, R. L. & Lam, D. P. M., 13.06.2018, In: Environmental Research Letters. 13, 6, 5 p., 068001.

    Research output: Journal contributionsComments / Debate / ReportsResearch

  12. Published

    Home range size and resource use of breeding and non-breeding white storks along a land use gradient

    Zurell, D., von Wehrden, H., Rotics, S., Kaatz, M., Groß, H., Schlag, L., Schäfer, M., Sapir, N., Turjeman, S., Wikelski, M., Nathan, R. & Jeltsch, F., 12.06.2018, In: Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution. 6, JUN, 11 p., 79.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  13. Published

    Bioavailability of Antibiotics at Soil-Water Interfaces: A Comparison of Measured Activities and Equilibrium Partitioning Estimates

    Menz, J., Müller, J., Olsson, O. & Kümmerer, K., 05.06.2018, In: Environmental Science & Technology. 52, 11, p. 6555-6564 10 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  14. Published

    Bird Diversity and the Resilience of Southwestern Ethiopian Forests

    Rodrigues, P. & Fischer, J., 05.06.2018, In: Tropical Conservation Science. 11, p. 1-4 4 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsComments / Debate / ReportsResearch

  15. Published

    Mindset-Oriented Negotiation Training (MONT): Teaching more than skills and knowledge

    Ade, V., Schuster, C., Harinck, F. & Trötschel, R., 05.06.2018, In: Frontiers in Psychology. 9, JUN, 13 p., 907.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  16. Published

    Sustainability Transitions and the Spatial Interface: Developing Conceptual Perspectives

    Levin-Keitel, M., Mölders, T., Othengrafen, F. & Ibendorf, J., 05.06.2018, In: Sustainability. 10, 6, 15 p., 1880.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  17. Published

    Crop variety and prey richness affect spatial patterns of human-wildlife conflicts in Iran's Hyrcanian forests

    Meinecke, L., Soofi, M., Riechers, M., Khorozyan, I., Hosseini, H., Schwarze, S. & Waltert, M., 01.06.2018, In: Journal for Nature Conservation. 43, p. 165-172 8 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  18. Published

    Culture in sustainable urban development: Practices and policies for spaces of possibility and institutional innovations

    Kagan, S., Hauerwaas, A., Holz, V. & Wedler, P., 01.06.2018, In: City, Culture, and Society. 13, p. 32-45 14 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  19. Published

    Interregional flows of ecosystem services: Concepts, typology and four cases

    Schröter, M., Koellner, T., Alkemade, R., Arnhold, S., Bagstad, K. J., Erb, K. H., Frank, K., Kastner, T., Kissinger, M., Liu, J., López-Hoffman, L., Maes, J., Marques, A., Martín-López, B., Meyer, C., Schulp, C. J. E., Thober, J., Wolff, S. & Bonn, A., 01.06.2018, In: Ecosystem Services. 31, Part B, p. 231-241 11 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  20. Published

    Patients' experiences in a guided Internet- and App-based stress intervention for college students: A qualitative study

    Fleischmann, R. J., Harrer, M., Zarski, A. C., Baumeister, H., Lehr, D. & Ebert, D. D., 01.06.2018, In: Internet Interventions. 12, p. 130-140 11 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  21. Published

    Ten essentials for action-oriented and second order energy transitions, transformations and climate change research

    Fazey, I., Schäpke, N., Caniglia, G., Patterson, J., Hultman, J., van Mierlo, B., Säwe, F., Wiek, A., Wittmayer, J., Aldunce, P., Al Waer, H., Battacharya, N., Bradbury, H., Carmen, E., Colvin, J., Cvitanovic, C., D'Souza, M., Gopel, M., Goldstein, B., Hämäläinen, T., Harper, G., Henfry, T., Hodgson, A., Howden, M. S., Kerr, A., Klaes, M., Lyon, C., Midgley, G., Moser, S., Mukherjee, N., Müller, K., O'Brien, K., O'Connell, D. A., Olsson, P., Page, G., Reed, M. S., Searle, B., Silvestri, G., Spaiser, V., Strasser, T., Tschakert, P., Uribe-Calvo, N., Waddell, S., Rao-Williams, J., Wise, R., Wolstenholme, R., Woods, M. & Wyborn, C., 01.06.2018, In: Energy Research and Social Science. 40, June 2018, p. 54-70 17 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsScientific review articlesResearch