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

    A theory of participation: what makes stakeholder and public engagement in environmental management work?

    Reed, M. S., Vella, S., Challies, E., de Vente, J., Frewer, L., Hohenwallner-Ries, D., Huber, T., Neumann, R. K., Oughton, E. A., Sidoli del Ceno, J. & van Delden, H., 01.04.2018, In: Restoration Ecology. 26, S1, p. S7-S17 11 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsScientific review articlesResearch

  2. Published

    Time- and age-related effects of experimentally simulated nitrogen deposition on the functioning of montane heathland ecosystems

    Calvo-Fernández, J., Taboada, A., Fichtner, A., Härdtle, W., Calvo, L. & Marcos, E., 01.02.2018, In: The Science of The Total Environment. 613-614, p. 149-159 11 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  3. Published

    Transferring an Analytical Technique from Ecology to the Sport Sciences

    Woods, C. T., Robertson, S., Collier, N. F., Swinbourne, A. L. & Leicht, A. S., 01.03.2018, In: Sports Medicine. 48, 3, p. 725-732 8 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  4. Published

    Herbivore and pathogen effects on tree growth are additive, but mediated by tree diversity and plant traits

    Schuldt, A., Hönig, L., Li, Y., Fichtner, A., Härdtle, W., von Oheimb, G., Welk, E. & Bruehlheide, H., 09.2017, In: Ecology and Evolution. 7, 18, p. 7462-7474 13 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  5. Published

    Oxygen dependence in the photoreaction of the pesticide metamitron

    Palm, W.-U., 01.10.2017, In: Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology. 347, p. 138-145 8 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  6. Published

    Livestock grazing disrupts plant-insect interactions on salt marshes

    Rickert, C., Fichtner, A. & van Klink, R., 03.2018, In: Insect Conservation and Diversity. 11, 2, p. 152-161 10 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  7. Published

    Technical, economic and environmental analysis of lactic acid and biogas production from kitchen waste

    Demichelis, F., Fiore, S., Pleißner, D. & Venus, J., 01.09.2017, 9th International Conference on Environmental Engineering and Management (ICEEM09): Conference Abstracts Book. Buburuzan, A. M., Fava, F., Gavrilescu, D., Teodosiu, C., Corvini, P. & Bertin, L. (eds.). Iasi, Romania: ECOZONE Publishing House, p. 257-258 2 p. (ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING AND MANAGEMENT; vol. 9).

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

  8. Published

    Nachhaltigkeitsstrategien und die Herausforderung der politischen Umsetzung

    Laws, N. & Heinrichs, H., 07.2017, Die Deutsche Nachhaltigkeitsstrategie: Wegweiser für eine Politik der Nachhaltigkeit. Michelsen, G. (ed.). Wiesbaden: Hessische Landeszentrale für politische Bildung, p. 141-156 16 p. (forum hlz).

    Research output: Contributions to collected editions/worksContributions to collected editions/anthologiesResearch

  9. Published

    Quantitative and qualitative insights into consumers’ sustainable purchasing behaviour: A segmentation approach based on motives and heuristic cues

    Eberhart, A. K. & Naderer, G., 02.09.2017, In: Journal of Marketing Management. 33, 13-14, p. 1149-1169 21 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  10. Published

    Legal Systems, Internationalization and Corporate Sustainability: An empirical analysis of the influence of national and international authorities

    Hörisch, J., Burritt, R., Christ, K. & Schaltegger, S., 2017, In: Corporate Governance. 17, 5, p. 861 - 875 15 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review