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. 2015
  2. Published

    Combining charcoal sediment and molecular markers to infer a Holocene fire history in the Maya Lowlands of Petén, Guatemala

    Schüpbach, S., Kirchgeorg, T., Colombaroli, D., Beffa, G., Radaelli, M., Kehrwald, N. & Barbante, C., 01.05.2015, In: Quaternary Science Reviews. 115, p. 123-131 9 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  3. Published

    Early positive effects of tree species richness on herbivory in a large-scale forest biodiversity experiment influence tree growth

    Schuldt, A., Bruelheide, H., Härdtle, W., Aßmann, T., Li, Y., Ma, K., Oheimb, G. & Zhang, J., 01.05.2015, In: Journal of Ecology. 103, 3, p. 563-571 9 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  4. Published

    Efficacy of a Web-Based Intervention With Mobile Phone Support in Treating Depressive Symptoms in Adults With Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes: A Randomized Controlled Trial

    Nobis, S., Lehr, D., Ebert, D. D., Baumeister, H., Snoek, F., Riper, H. & Berking, M., 01.05.2015, In: Diabetes Care. 38, 5, p. 776-783 8 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  5. Published

    Exploring the planetary boundary for chemical pollution

    Diamond, M. L., de Wit, C. A., Molander, S., Scheringer, M., Backhaus, T., Lohmann, R., Arvidsson, R., Bergman, Å., Hauschild, M., Holoubek, I., Persson, L., Suzuki, N., Vighi, M. & Zetzsch, C., 01.05.2015, In: Environmental international. 78, p. 8 - 15 8 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsScientific review articlesResearch

  6. Published

    The madrid statement on poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs)

    Blum, A., Balan, S. A., Scheringer, M., Trier, X., Goldenman, G., Cousins, I. T., Diamond, M., Fletcher, T., Higgins, C., Lindeman, A. E., Peaslee, G., Voogt, P. D., Wang, Z. & Weber, R., 01.05.2015, In: Environmental Health Perspectives. 123, 5, p. A107-A111 5 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsComments / Debate / ReportsResearch

  7. Published

    Tree species richness strengthens relationships between ants and the functional composition of spider assemblages in a highly diverse forest

    Schuldt, A. & Staab, M., 01.05.2015, In: Biotropica. 47, 3, p. 339-346 8 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  8. Published

    Understanding the modes of use and availability of critical metals-An expert-based scenario analysis for the case of indium

    Weiser, A., Lang, D. J., Schomerus, T. & Stamp, A., 01.05.2015, In: Journal of Cleaner Production. 94, p. 376-393 18 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  9. Published
  10. Published

    Konzept für die Fortentwicklung des deutschen Klimaschutzrechts

    Ekardt, F., Klinski, S. & Schomerus, T., 05.2015, Marburg: Metropolis Verlag für Ökonomie. 535 p. (Beiträge zur sozialwissenschaftlichen Nachhaltigkeitsforschung; vol. 17)

    Research output: Books and anthologiesMonographsResearchpeer-review

  11. Published

    Regionale StadtLandschaften

    Hofmeister, S. & Klee, A., 30.04.2015, In: Raumforschung und Raumordnung. 73, 2, p. 77-78 2 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsOther (editorial matter etc.)Research

  12. Published

    Impacts of software and its engineering on the carbon footprint of ICT

    Kern, E., Dick, M., Naumann, S. & Hiller, T., 01.04.2015, In: Environmental Impact Assessment Review. 52, p. 53-61 9 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  13. Published

    Making REDD+ pay: Shifting rationales and tactics of private finance and the governance of avoided deforestation in Indonesia’

    Dixon, R. & Challies, E., 01.04.2015, In: Asia Pacific Viewpoint. 56, 1, p. 6-20 15 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  14. Published
  15. Published

    Changes in butterfly movements along a gradient of land use in farmlands of Transylvania (Romania)

    Loos, J., Kuussaari, M., Ekroos, J., Hanspach, J., Fust, P., Jackson, L. & Fischer, J., 04.2015, In: Landscape Ecology. 30, 4, p. 625-635 11 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  16. Published

    Introducing education for sustainable development into Egyptian schools

    Sewilam, H., McCormack, O., Mader, M. & Abdel Raouf, M., 04.2015, In: Environment, Development and Sustainability. 17, 2, p. 221-238 18 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  17. Published

    Linking stakeholder survey, scenario analysis, and simulation modeling to explore the long-term impacts of regional water governance regimes

    Withycombe Keeler, L., Wiek, A., White, D. D. & Sampson, D. A., 04.2015, In: Environmental Science & Policy. 48, p. 237-249 13 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  18. Published

    Model choice and size distribution: a Bayequentist approach

    Engler, J.-O. & Baumgärtner, S., 04.2015, In: American Journal of Agricultural Economics. 97, 3, p. 978-997 20 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  19. Published

    Natural habitat does not mediate vertebrate seed predation as an ecosystem dis-service to agriculture

    Schäckermann, J., Mandelik, Y., Weiss, N., von Wehrden, H. & Klein, A. M., 04.2015, In: Journal of Applied Ecology. 52, 2, p. 291-299 9 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  20. Published

    Geschlechtergerechtigkeit und Sprachpraxis in universitären Lehr-Lern-Kontexten: Ergebnisse eines Lehrforschungsprojektes

    Gburzynski, A., Stolzke, L., Strauß, A., Fischer, D. & Weitzel, J., 30.03.2015, In: Zeitschrift für Hochschulentwicklung. 10, 1, p. 199-224 26 p.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

  21. Published

    Facilitative-competitive interactions in an Old-Growth Forest: The Importance of Large-Diameter Trees as Benefactors and Stimulators for Forest Community Assembly

    Fichtner, A., Forrester, D. I., Härdtle, W., Sturm, K. & Oheimb, G., 24.03.2015, In: PLoS ONE. 10, 3, 18 p., e0120335.

    Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review