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Indicator-Based Analysis of the Process Towards a University in Sustainable Development: A Case Study of the University of Tübingen (Germany)

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Integrative Approaches to Sustainable Development at University Level

Part of the book series: World Sustainability Series ((WSUSE))

Abstract

In order to contribute to sustainable development (SD), complex and heterogeneous institutions such as universities need instruments to define SD goals as well as to assess and to communicate their SD performance. We discuss the potential of sustainability indicators to provide structure and guidance for SD processes of universities, analyse the suitability of the sustainability indicator set Nachhaltigkeitscheck 2.0 (Sustainability Check 2.0), developed for German universities, and suggest a revised version: the Sustainability Check 3.0. We apply this new set to the bottom-up driven SD activities at the University of Tübingen. We understand this as a case study that is relevant and may be exemplary for possible processes of transformation in other German and possibly international full-scale universities. Finally, recommendations will be offered of how SD processes at universities can be measured and steered more effectively based on inclusive stakeholder participation.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    We also follow the German National Sustainability Strategy linguistically by using ‘indicator fields’ instead of ‘fields of action’ and ‘indicators’ for ‘manifestations’.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Junior Research Group Ethics of Science in the Research for Sustainable Development, International Centre for Ethics in the Sciences and Humanities, University of Tübingen, Wilhelmstr. 19, 72074, Tübingen, Germany

    Simon Meisch

  2. Geomicrobiology, Center for Applied Geoscience, University of Tübingen, Hölderlinstraße 12, 72072, Tübingen, Germany

    Nikolas Hagemann

  3. Department of Economics, Free University Berlin, Garystraße 21, 14195, Berlin, Germany

    Johannes Geibel

  4. Department of Geography, Kiel School of Sustainability, University of Kiel, Hermann-Rodewald-Straße 9, 24098, Kiel, Germany

    Elisabeth Gebhard

  5. Research Group on Environmental, Resource and Ecological Economics, Department of Economics, University of Kiel, Wilhelm-Seelig-Platz 1, 24118, Kiel, Germany

    Moritz A. Drupp

Authors
  1. Simon Meisch
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  2. Nikolas Hagemann
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  3. Johannes Geibel
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  4. Elisabeth Gebhard
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  5. Moritz A. Drupp
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Simon Meisch .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Environmental Science, HAW Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany

    Walter Leal Filho

  2. Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, Passo Fundo University, Passo Fundo, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

    Luciana Brandli

  3. Business School, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, United Kingdom

    Olga Kuznetsova

  4. Department of Business and Economics, University of Beira Interior, Covilhã, Portugal

    Arminda Maria Finisterra do Paço

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Meisch, S., Hagemann, N., Geibel, J., Gebhard, E., Drupp, M.A. (2015). Indicator-Based Analysis of the Process Towards a University in Sustainable Development: A Case Study of the University of Tübingen (Germany). In: Leal Filho, W., Brandli, L., Kuznetsova, O., Paço, A. (eds) Integrative Approaches to Sustainable Development at University Level. World Sustainability Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-10690-8_12

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