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

    The future of health debates? A design thinking sketch of the VR Health Arena

    Fischer, M., 01.09.2018, In: Health and Technology. 8, 4, p. 281-290 10 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  2. Published

    Inner conflict resolution and self-empowerment as contribution for personal sustainability on the case of intentional community practices

    Veciana, S. & Ottmar, K., 19.03.2018, Personal Sustainability: Exploring the Far Side of Sustainable Development. Parodi, O. & Tamm, K. (eds.). London: Taylor and Francis Inc., p. 116-135 20 p.

    Research output: Contributions to collected editions/worksChapterpeer-review

  3. Published

    The new spirit of capitalism in European Liberal Arts programs*

    Claus, J., Meckel, T. & Pätz, F., 19.09.2018, In: Educational Philosophy and Theory. 50, 11, p. 1011-1019 9 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  4. Published

    Assessment of Competencies for Sustainability in Secondary Education in Mexico

    Rodríguez-Aboytes, J. G. & Nieto-Caraveo, L. M., 2018, Sustainable Development Research and Practice in Mexico and Selected Latin American Countries. Filho, W. L., Noyola-Cherpitel, R., Medellin-Milan, P. & Vargas, V. R. (eds.). Cham: Springer Verlag, p. 199-216 18 p. (World Sustainability Series).

    Research output: Contributions to collected editions/worksChapterpeer-review

  5. 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

  6. Published

    The lens of polycentricity: Identifying polycentric governance systems illustrated through examples from the field of water governance

    Schröder, N. J. S., 01.07.2018, In: Environmental Policy and Governance. 28, 4, p. 236-251 16 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  7. Published

    Wahrnehmung und Anpassungsverhalten der Landwirte an Greening: Eine qualitative Studie in Südniedersachsen

    Schüler, S., Bienwald, L., Loos, J. & Lakner, S., 19.12.2018, In: Berichte uber Landwirtschaft. 96, 3, 22 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsScientific review articlesResearch

  8. Published

    Chancen för erneuerbare Energien in Wärmenetzen: Bericht vom Leuphana Energieforum 2017

    Bickel, M. W., Soetebeer, I. & Neidig, P., 2018, In: GAIA. 27, 1, p. 190-192 3 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  9. Published

    A focus group for operationalizing software sustainability with the MEASURE platform

    Condori-Fernandez, N., Bagnato, A. & Kern, E., 2018, In: CEUR Workshop Proceedings. 2286, p. 7-18 12 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsConference article in journalResearchpeer-review

  10. Published

    Quo Vadis, Umweltinformatik? 6. Workshop: Umweltinformatik zwischen Nachhaltigkeit & Wandel (UINW 2018)

    Naumann, S., Voigt, K., Kern, E. & Wohlgemuth, V., 2018, Workshops der INFORMATIK 2018 - Architekturen, Prozesse, Sicherheit und Nachhaltigkeit. Czarnecki, C., Brockmann, C., Sultanow, E., Koschmider, A. & Selzer, A. (eds.). Gesellschaft für Informatik e.V., p. 131-133 3 p. (Lecture Notes in Informatics (LNI), Proceedings - Series of the Gesellschaft fur Informatik (GI); vol. 285).

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