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

    Dealing with Climate Change: A Conversation with Paul N. Edwards and Oliver Geden

    Schrickel, I. & Engemann, C., 12.06.2017, In: Berichte zur Wissenschaftsgeschichte. 40, 2, p. 175-185 11 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesTransferpeer-review

  2. Published

    Measuring Young Consumers’ Sustainable Consumption Behavior: Development and Validation of the YCSCB Scale

    Fischer, D., Böhme, T. & Geiger, S. M., 09.2017, In: Young Consumers. 18, 3, p. 312-326 15 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  3. Published

    Sustainable Development: Special Issue: Innovative measurement approaches for corporate sustainability

    Álvarez-Etxeberria, I. (Editor), Ortas, E. (Editor) & Schaltegger, S. (Editor), 2017, Bradford, West Yorkshire: John Wiley & Sons Ltd. 55 p. (Sustainable Development; vol. 25, no. 2)

    Research output: Books and anthologiesSpecial Journal issueResearch

  4. Published

    Reframing the Food–Biodiversity Challenge

    Fischer, J., Abson, D. J., Bergsten, A., Collier, N., Dorresteijn, I., Hanspach, J., Hylander, K., Schultner, J. & Senbeta, F., 05.2017, In: Trends in Ecology and Evolution. 32, 5, p. 335-345 11 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsScientific review articlesResearch

  5. Published

    Late pliocene–pleistocene record of the garding-2 research drill core, Northwest Germany

    Proborukmi, M. S., Urban, B., Frechen, M., Grube, A. & Rolf, C., 03.2017, In: Zeitschrift der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Geowissenschaften. 168, 1, p. 141-167 27 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  6. Published
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  8. Published

    Intra- and interspecific hybridization in invasive Siberian elm

    Hirsch, H., Brunet, J., Zalapa, J. E., von Wehrden, H., Hartmann, M., Kleindienst, C., Schlautman, B., Kosman, E., Wesche, K., Renison, D. & Hensen, I., 01.06.2017, In: Biological Invasions. 19, 6, p. 1889-1904 16 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  9. Published

    Performance of process-based models for simulation of grain N in crop rotations across Europe

    Yin, X., Kersebaum, K. C., Kollas, C., Manevski, K., Baby, S., Beaudoin, N., Öztürk, I., Gaiser, T., Wu, L., Hoffmann, M., Charfeddine, M., Conradt, T., Constantin, J., Ewert, F., de Cortazar-Atauri, I. G., Giglio, L., Hlavinka, P., Hoffmann, H., Launay, M., Louarn, G., Manderscheid, R., Mary, B., Mirschel, W., Nendel, C., Pacholski, A., Palosuo, T., Ripoche-Wachter, D., P. Rötter, R., Ruget, F., Sharif, B., Trnka, M., Ventrella, D., Weigel, H. J. & E. Olesen, J., 01.06.2017, In: Agricultural Systems. 154, p. 63-77 15 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  10. Published

    Refocusing ecosystem services towards sustainability

    Schröter, M., Stumpf, K. H., Loos, J., van Oudenhoven, A. P. E., Böhnke-Henrichs, A. & Abson, D. J., 01.06.2017, In: Ecosystem Services. 25, p. 35-43 9 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review