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.
- 2019
- Published
Interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research: finding the common ground of multi-faceted concepts
von Wehrden, H., Guimarães, M. H., Bina, O., Varanda, M., Lang, D. J., John, B., Gralla, F., Alexander, D., Raines, D., White, A. & Lawrence, R. J., 07.05.2019, In: Sustainability Science. 14, 3, p. 875-888 14 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
- Published
Privatizing the commons: New approaches need broader evaluative criteria for sustainability
Partelow, S., Abson, D. J., Schlueter, A., Fernandez-Gimenez, M., von Wehrden, H. & Collier, N., 03.05.2019, In: International Journal of the Commons. 13, 1, p. 747-776 30 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
- Published
Transforming Consumer Behavior: Introducing Self-Inquiry-Based and Self-Experience-Based Learning for Building Personal Competencies for Sustainable Consumption
Frank, P. & Stanszus, L., 02.05.2019, In: Sustainability. 11, 9, 19 p., 2550.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
- Published
Catalyzing Transformations to Sustainability in the World's Mountains
the Mountain Sentinels Network, Klein, J. A., Tucker, C. M., Nolin, A. W., Hopping, K. A., Reid, R. S., Steger, C., Grêt-Regamey, A., Lavorel, S., Müller, B., Yeh, E. T., Boone, R. B., Bourgeron, P., Butsic, V., Castellanos, E., Chen, X., Dong, S., Greenwood, G., Keiler, M., Marchant, R., Seidl, R., Spies, T., Thorn, J., Yager, K. & Martín‐López, B., 01.05.2019, In: Earth's Future. 7, 5, p. 547-557 11 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
- Published
Intraspecific trait variation patterns along a precipitation gradient in Mongolian rangelands
Lang, B., Geiger, A., Oyunbileg, M., Ahlborn, J., von Wehrden, H., Wesche, K., Oyuntsetseg, B. & Römermann, C., 01.05.2019, In: Flora: Morphology, Distribution, Functional Ecology of Plants. 254, p. 135-146 12 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
- Published
Landscape-scale biodiversity governance: Scenarios for reshaping spaces of governance
Leventon, J., Schaal, T., Velten, S., Loos, J., Fischer, J. & Newig, J., 01.05.2019, In: Environmental Policy and Governance. 29, 3, p. 170-184 15 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
- Published
The resilience of agricultural landscapes characterized by land sparing versus land sharing
Abson, D., Sherren, K. & Fischer, J., 05.2019, Agriculture Resilience: perspectives from ecology and economics. Gardner, S., Hails, R. S. & Ramsden, S. (eds.). Cambrige: Cambridge University Press, p. 232-252 21 p.Research output: Contributions to collected editions/works › Contributions to collected editions/anthologies › Research
- Published
Wirtschaftskriege im digitalen Zeitalter: Ethische Perspektiven
Oermann, N. O., 05.2019, In: Theologische Literaturzeitung. 144, 5, p. 419-435 17 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Transfer › peer-review
- Published
Socioecological Interactions amid Global Change
Almekinders, C. J. M., Stone, G. D., Baranski, M., Carney, J. A., Hanspach, J., Krishna, V. V., Ramirez-Villegas, J., Etten, J. V. & Zimmerer, K. S., 30.04.2019, Agrobiodiversity: Integrating knowledge for a sustainable future. Zimmerer, K. S. & Haan, S. D. (eds.). Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press, p. 117-143 27 p. (Strüngmann Forum Reports).Research output: Contributions to collected editions/works › Article in conference proceedings › Research › peer-review
- Published
Make EU trade with Brazil sustainable
604 signatories, Kehoe, L., Reis, T., Virah-Sawmy, M., Balmford, A., Kuemmerle, T., Knohl, A., Antonelli, A., Hochkirch, A., Vira, B., Massa, B., Peres, C. A., Ammer, C., Görg, C., Schneider, C., Curtis, D., de la Peña, E., Tello, E., Sperfeld, E., Corbera, E., Morelli, F., Valladares, F., Peterson, G., Hide, G., Mace, G., Kallis, G., Olsson, G. A., Brumelis, G., Alexanderson, H., Haberl, H., Nuissl, H., Kreft, H., Ghazoul, J., Piotrowski, J. A., Macdiarmid, J., Newig, J., Fischer, J., Altringham, J., Gledhill, J., Nielsen, J., Müller, J., Palmeirim, J., Barlow, J., Alonso, J. C., Asencio, J. J. P., Steinberger, J. K., Jones, J. P. G., Cotta, B., Leonhardt, S. D., Wanger, T. C. & Coenen, J., 26.04.2019, In: Science. 364, 6438, p. 341 1 p.Research output: Journal contributions › Comments / Debate / Reports › Research