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

    Purely ornamental? Public perceptions of distributed energy storage in the United Kingdom

    Ambrosio-Albalá, P., Upham, P. & Bale, C. S. E., 01.02.2019, In: Energy Research and Social Science. 48, p. 139-150 12 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  2. Published

    Pflanzengesellschaft des Jahres 2019: Die Glatthaferwiese

    Tischew, S., Dierschke, H., Schwabe, A., Garve, E., Heinken, T., Holzel, N., Bergmeier, E., Remy, D. & Härdtle, W., 2018, In: Tuexenia. 38, p. 287-295 9 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  3. Published

    Narrations of Sustainability How to Tell the Story of the Socio-Ecological Transformation

    Fischer, D., Schaefer, T. & Borner, J., 01.01.2018, In: GAIA. 27, 3, p. 334-336 3 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  4. Published

    The Challenges of Using Organic Municipal Solid Waste as Source of Secondary Raw Materials

    Pleißner, D. & Peinemann, J. C., 01.02.2020, In: Waste and Biomass Valorization. 11, 2, p. 435-446 12 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  5. Published

    Strengthening the transformative impulse while mainstreaming real-world labs: Lessons learned from three years of BaWü-Labs: Lessons learned from three years of BaWü-Labs

    Schäpke, N., Wagner, F., Parodi, O. & Meier-Soylu, S., 01.01.2018, In: GAIA. 27, 2, p. 262-264 3 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  6. Published

    Toward comparative institutional analysis of polycentric social-ecological systems governance

    Thiel, A. & Moser, C., 2018, In: Environmental Policy and Governance. 28, 4, p. 269-283 15 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  7. Published

    Sustainable chemistry and the international sustainable chemistry collaborative centre ISC 3

    Elschami, M., Kümmerer, K. & Schneidewind, U., 01.01.2018, In: GAIA. 27, 2, p. 247-249 3 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  8. Published

    The marketing and public affairs of sustainability

    Breitbarth, T., Schaltegger, S. & Mahon, J., 08.2018, In: Journal of Public Affairs. 18, 3, 3 p., e1854.

    Research output: Journal contributionsOther (editorial matter etc.)Research

  9. Published

    Transferring sustainability solutions across contexts through city-university partnerships

    Keeler, L. W., Beaudoin, F. D., Lerner, A. M., John, B., Beecroft, R., Tamm, K., Wiek, A. & Lang, D. J., 09.2018, In: Sustainability. 10, 9, 17 p., 2966.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  10. Published

    Collaborative energy visioning under conditions of illiberal democracy: Results and recommendations from Ecuador

    Noboa, E., Upham, P. J. & Heinrichs, H., 08.10.2018, In: Energy, Sustainability and Society. 8, 1, 17 p., 31.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review