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

    Soil texture and altitude, respectively, largely determine the floristic gradient of the most diverse fog oasis in the Peruvian desert

    Muenchow, J., Hauenstein, S., Bräuning, A., Bäumler, R., Rodríguez, E. F. & von Wehrden, H., 01.09.2013, In: Journal of Tropical Ecology. 29, 5, p. 427-438 12 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  2. Published

    Soil seed banks near rubbing trees indicate dispersal of plant species into forests by wild boar

    Heinken, T., Schmidt, M., Kriebitzsch, W.-U., von Oheimb, G. & Ellenberg, H., 02.01.2006, In: Basic and Applied Ecology. 7, 1, p. 31-44 14 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  3. Published

    Soil conditions modify species diversity effects on tree functional trait expression

    Davrinche, A. & Haider, S., 12.2024, In: Scientific Reports. 14, 1, 16 p., 17114.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  4. Published

    Soil chemical legacies trigger species-specific and context-dependent root responses in later arriving plants

    Delory, B. M., Schempp, H., Spachmann, S. M., Störzer, L., van Dam, N. M., Temperton, V. M. & Weinhold, A., 04.2021, In: Plant, Cell and Environment. 44, 4, p. 1215-1230 16 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  5. Published

    Soil carbon, multiple benefits

    Milne, E., Banwart, S. A., Noellemeyer, E., Abson, D., Ballabio, C., Bampa, F., Bationo, A., Batjes, N. H., Bernoux, M., Bhattacharyya, T., Black, H., Buschiazzo, D. E., Cai, Z., Cerri, C. E., Cheng, K., Compagnone, C., Conant, R., Coutinho, H. L. C., de Brogniez, D., Balieiro, F. D. C., Duffy, C., Feller, C., Fidalgo, E. C. C., da Silva, C. F., Funk, R., Gaudig, G., Gicheru, P. T., Goldhaber, M., Gottschalk, P., Goulet, F., Goverse, T., Grathwohl, P., Joosten, H., Kamoni, P. T., Kihara, J., Krawczynski, R., La Scala, N., Lemanceau, P., Li, L., Li, Z., Lugato, E., Maron, P. A., Martius, C., Melillo, J., Montanarella, L., Nikolaidis, N., Nziguheba, G., Pan, G., Pascual, U., Paustian, K., Piñeiro, G., Powlson, D., Quiroga, A., Richter, D., Sigwalt, A., Six, J., Smith, J., Smith, P., Stocking, M., Tanneberger, F., Termansen, M., van Noordwijk, M., van Wesemael, B., Vargas, R., Victoria, R. L., Waswa, B., Werner, D., Wichmann, S., Wichtmann, W., Zhang, X., Zhao, Y., Zheng, J. & Zheng, J., 01.01.2015, In: Environmental Development. 13, p. 33-38 6 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  6. Published

    Soil and tree species traits both shape soil microbial communities during early growth of Chinese subtropical forests

    Pei, Z., Eichenberg, D., Bruelheide, H., Kröber, W., Kühn, P., Li, Y., von Oheimb, G., Purschke, O., Scholten, T., Buscot, F. & Gutknecht, J. L. M., 01.05.2016, In: Soil Biology and Biochemistry. 96, p. 180-190 11 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  7. Published

    Software-Unterstützung für Routine im betrieblichen Umweltschutz

    Möller, A., 2010, Integration of environmental information in Europe: EnviroInfo 2010 ; proceedings of the 24th International Conference on Informatics for Environmental Protection, Cologne/Bonn, Germany. Greve, K. & Cremers, A. B. (eds.). Shaker Verlag, p. 375-382 8 p.

    Research output: Contributions to collected editions/worksArticle in conference proceedingsResearchpeer-review

  8. Published

    Software-Unterstützung für Routine im betrieblichen Umweltschutz

    Möller, A., 2012, Konzepte, Anwendungen und Entwicklungstendenzen von betrieblichen Umweltinformationssystemen (BUIS): Tagungsband zu den 4. Berliner BUIS-Tagen am 26. und 27.04. 2012 in Berlin. Wohlgemuth, V., Lang, C. & Marx Gomez, J. (eds.). 1 ed. Shaker Verlag, p. 143-154 12 p. (Berichte aus der Umweltinformatik).

    Research output: Contributions to collected editions/worksArticle in conference proceedingsTransfer

  9. Published

    Software and Web-Based Tools for Sustainability Management in Micro-, Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprises

    Johnson, M., Halberstadt, J., Schaltegger, S. & Viere, T., 2016, Advances and New Trends in Environmental and Energy Informatics: Selected and Extended Contributions from the 28th International Conference on Informatics for Environmental Protection. Gómez, J. M., Sonnenschein, M., Vogel, U., Winter, A., Rapp, B. & Giesen, N. (eds.). Cham: Springer International Publishing, p. 259-274 16 p. (Progress in IS).

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

  10. Published

    Socio-technical instruments in the field of Integrated Water Resources Management

    Evers, M., 2009, Environmental Informatics and Industrial Environmental Protection: Concepts, Methods and Tools : EnviroInfo 2009 ; 23rd International Conference on Informatics for Environmental Protection ; proceedings of the 23rd International Conference Environmental Informatics - Informatics for environmental protection, sustainable development and risk management, September 09 - 11, 2009, HTW Berlin, University of Applied Sciences, Germany. Wohlgemuth, V., Page, B. & Voigt, K. (eds.). Shaker Verlag, Vol. Sessions. p. 299-304 8 p.

    Research output: Contributions to collected editions/worksArticle in conference proceedingsResearchpeer-review