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

    Driving factors for the regional implementation of renewable energy: - a multiple case study on the German energy transition

    Lutz, L. M., Fischer, L.-B., Newig, J. & Lang, D. J., 01.06.2017, In: Energy Policy. 105, p. 136-147 12 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  2. Published

    Facilitating regional energy transition strategies: Toward a typology of regions

    Lutz, L. M., Lang, D. J. & Wehrden, H., 01.09.2017, In: Sustainability. 9, 9, 17 p., 1560.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  3. Published

    Emotion Knowledge and Attention Problems in Young Children: a Cross-Lagged Panel Study on the Direction of Effects

    Salisch, M., Denham, S. A. & Koch, T., 01.01.2017, In: Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology. 45, 1, p. 45-56 12 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  4. Published

    Verhandeln

    Trötschel, R., Höhne, B., Majer, J. M., Loschelder, D. D., Deller, J. & Frey, D., 20.02.2017, Kommunikation, Interaktion und soziale Gruppenprozesse. Bierhoff, H.-W. & Frey, D. (eds.). 1 ed. Göttingen: Hogrefe Verlag, p. 803-846 44 p. (Enzyklopädie der Psychologie; vol. 6, no. 3).

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

  5. Published

    Role-Playing Games in Natural Resource Management and Research. Lessons Learned from Theory and Practice

    Wesselow, M. & Stoll-Kleemann, S., 2018, In: Geographical Journal. 184: 298 – 309

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  6. Published

    Stakeholder Involvement in Transdisciplinary Research. Lessons from Three Projects on Sustainable Land Management in a North-South Setting

    Schmidt, L., Hartberger , K., Kobbe, S., Falk, T., Wesselow, M. & Schumann, C., 2018, In: GAIA - Ecological Perspectives for Science and Society. 27/3: 312 – 320

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  7. Published

    The sustainability balanced scorecard: An introduction to the SBSC and its links to accounting and reporting

    Lüdeke-Freund, F. & Schaltegger, S., 2019, Measuring and controlling sustainability: Spanning Theory and Practice. Lindgreen, A., Vallaster, C., Yousafzai, S. & Hirsch, B. (eds.). London: Routledge Taylor & Francis Group, p. 33-53 21 p. (A Gower book).

    Research output: Contributions to collected editions/worksChapterpeer-review

  8. Published

    Illusio Fachkräftemangel: Der Zwischenraum von Bildung und Wirtschaft in Deutschland und Nordkalifornien

    Herberg, J., 03.2018, Wiesbaden: Springer VS. 612 p. (Politische Soziologie)

    Research output: Books and anthologiesBook

  9. Published

    Kollaborative Kurzfilmproduktion als innovativer Ansatz in der Hochschulbildung für nachhaltige Entwicklung an der Leuphana Universität Lüneburg

    Altekruse, J., Fischer, D. & Ruckelshauß, T., 2018, Nachhaltigkeit in der Lehre: Eine Herausforderung für Hochschulen. Leal Filho, W. (ed.). Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer Verlag, p. 369-385 17 p.

    Research output: Contributions to collected editions/worksChapter

  10. Published

    DECODING SUSTAINABILITY IN THE HEALTHCARE SYSTEM. TEACHING STUDENTS HOW TO PROBLEMATIZE COMPLEX CONCEPTS

    Fischer, M., 26.10.2018, In: RISUS-JOURNAL ON INNOVATION AND SUSTAINABILITY. 9, 3, p. 149-159 11 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review