School of Sustainability
Organisational unit: Research School
- Centre for Sustainability Management (CSM)
- Institute of Ecology
- Institute of Ethics and Transdisciplinary Sustainability Research
- Institute of Sustainability Governance
- Institute of Sustainability Material Flows and Circularity
- Institute of Sustainability Psychology
- Institute of Sustainable Chemistry
- Social-Ecological Systems Institute (SESI)
- Sustainability Education and Transdisciplinary Research Institute
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.
- Published
Cradle to Cradle Production
Braungart, M., 07.04.2007, Surviving the Century: Facing climate chaos and other global challenges. Girardet, H. (ed.). London: Earthscan Publications Ltd., p. 127-150 24 p.Research output: Contributions to collected editions/works › Contributions to collected editions/anthologies › Research › peer-review
- Published
Cradle to Cradle The new Recycling Quality
Braungart, M., 12.2021, In: Wochenblatt für Papierfabrikation. 149, 12, p. 700-701 2 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Other (editorial matter etc.) › Research
- Published
Creating a Business Case for Sustainability
Schaltegger, S. (Editor), 2006, Lüneburg: Centre for Sustainability Management. 12 p. (CSM-Newsletter; vol. 1/2006)Research output: Books and anthologies › Special Journal issue › Transfer
- Published
Creating curricula for competence: Findings from a comparison of three sustainability graduate programs
Birdman, J. & Lang, D. J., 29.03.2025, North American and European Perspectives on Sustainability in Higher Education.. Filho, W. L., Newman, J., Salvia, A. L., Trevisan, L. V. & Corazza, L. (eds.). Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland AG, p. 1173-1188 16 p. (World Sustainability Series; vol. Part F280).Research output: Contributions to collected editions/works › Chapter › peer-review
- Published
Creating leadership collectives for sustainability transformations
Care, O., Bernstein, M. J., Chapman, M., Diaz Reviriego, I., Dressler, G., Felipe-Lucia, M. R., Friis, C., Graham, S., Hänke, H., Haider, L. J., Hernández-Morcillo, M., Hoffmann, H., Kernecker, M., Nicol, P., Piñeiro, C., Pitt, H., Schill, C., Seufert, V., Shu, K., Valencia, V. & Zaehringer, J. G., 04.03.2021, In: Sustainability Science. 16, 2, p. 703-708 6 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
- Published
Creating Space for Change: Real-world Laboratories for Sustainability Transformations: The Case of Baden-Württemberg
Schäpke, N., Singer-Brodowski, M., Stelzer, F., Bergmann, M. & Lang, D. J., 2015, In: GAIA. 24, 4, p. 281-283 3 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
- Published
Crisis-induced disruptions in place-based social-ecological research - an opportunity for redirection
Hermans, K., Berger, E., Biber-Freudenberger, L., Bossenbroek, L., Ebeler, L., Groth, J., Hack, J., Hanspach, J., Hintz, K. S., Kimengsi, J. N., Kwong, Y. M. C., Oakes, R., Pagogna, R., Plieninger, T., Sterly, H., van der Geest, K., van Vliet, J. & Wiederkehr, C., 15.07.2021, In: GAIA. 30, 2, p. 72-76 5 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Scientific review articles › Research
- Published
Crisis in Social Practices? Experiences from the Research Project "Blocked Transistion? Spaces of Thinking and Action in Sustainable Regional Development"
Behrendt, M., Mölders, T., Scurrell, B. & Gottschlich, D., 2007, In: Transformacje. Special Issue: Crises and Sustainability, p. 158-171 14 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research
- Published
Critical Perspectives on Social Media and Protest: Between Control and Emancipation
Dencik, L. (Editor) & Leistert, O. (Editor), 2015, London: Rowman & Littlefield International. 248 p.Research output: Books and anthologies › Collected editions and anthologies › Research
- Published
Critical political economy of taxation
Lierse, H., 21.04.2023, Handbook on Critical Political Economy and Public Policy. Scherrer, C., Garcia, A. & Wullweber, J. (eds.). Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing, p. 327-340 14 p. (Handbooks of research on public policy).Research output: Contributions to collected editions/works › Chapter › peer-review