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

    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

  3. Published

    Sufficiency as policy: necessity, possibilities and limitations

    Spengler, L., 01.01.2018, Baden-Baden: Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft. 327 p. (Umweltsoziologie; vol. 5)

    Research output: Books and anthologiesBook

  4. Published

    Sustainability Science with Ozzy Osbourne, Julia Roberts and Ai Weiwei: The Potential of Arts-Based Research for Sustainable Development

    Heinrichs, H., 01.01.2018, In: GAIA. 27, 1, p. 132-137 6 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsScientific review articlesResearch

  5. 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

  6. Published

    The economic drivers and consequences of agricultural specialization

    Abson, D. J., 01.01.2018, Agroecosystem Diversity: Reconciling Contemporary Agriculture and Environmental Quality. Lemaire, G., Carvalho, P., Kronberg, S. & Recous, S. (eds.). Academic Press Inc., p. 301-315 15 p.

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

  7. Published

    When Individual Preferences Defy Sustainability — Can Merit Good Arguments Close the Gap?

    Hoberg, N. & Strunz, S., 01.01.2018, In: Ecological Economics. 143, p. 286-293 8 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  8. Published

    Ziele, Strukturen, Wirkungen transformativer Forschung

    Stelzer, F., Becker, S., Timm, J.-M., Adomßent, M., Simon, K.-H., Schneidewind, U., Renn, O., Lang, D. J. & Ernst, A., 01.01.2018, In: GAIA. 27, 4, p. 405-408 4 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  9. Published

    Continental mapping of forest ecosystem functions reveals a high but unrealised potential for forest multifunctionality.

    van der Plas, F., Ratcliffe, S., Ruiz-Benito, P., Scherer-Lorenzen, M., Verheyen, K., Wirth, C., de Zavala, M. A., Ampoorter, E., Baeten, L., Barbaro, L., Bastias, C. C., Bauhus, J., Benavides, R., Benneter, A., Bonal, D., Bouriaud, O., Bruelheide, H., Bussotti, F., Carnol, M., Castagneyrol, B., Charbonnier, Y., Cornelissen, J. H. C., Dahlgren, J., Checko, E., Coppi, A., Dawud, S. M., Deconchat, M., De Smedt, P., de Wandeler, H., Domisch, T., Finér, L., Fotelli, M., Gessler, A., Granier, A., Grossiord, C., Guyot, V., Haase, J., Hättenschwiler, S., Jactel, H., Jaroszewicz, B., Joly, F.-X., Jucker, T., Kambach, S., Kaendler, G., Kattge, J., Koricheva, J., Kunstler, G., Lehtonen, A., Liebergesell, M., Manning, P., Milligan, H., Müller, S., Muys, B., Nguyen, D., Nock, C., Ohse, B., Paquette, A., Penuelas, J., Pollastrini, M., Radoglou, K., Raulund-Rasmussen, K., Roger, F., Seidl, R., Selvi, F., Stenlid, J., Valladares, F., van Keer, J., Vesterdal, L., Fischer, M., Gamfeldt, L. & Allan, E., 01.2018, In: Ecology Letters. 21, 1, p. 31-42 12 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  10. Published

    Wie teuer wird die Medizin im Wasser?

    Kümmerer, K., 01.2018, In: Zweitausend50. 1, p. 70-73 4 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearch

  11. Published

    § 100 Allgemeine Übergangsvorschriften

    Schomerus, C.-T., Maly, C. & Meister, M., 2018, Erneuerbare-Energien-Gesetz: Kommentar. Frenz, W., Müggenborg, H.-J., Cosack, T., Hennig, B. & Schomerus, T. (eds.). 5. Aufl. ed. Berlin: Erich Schmidt Verlag, p. 1897-1935 39 p. (Berliner Kommentar).

    Research output: Contributions to collected editions/worksContributions in collection of commentariesResearch