The BOKU is committed to the understanding of sustainable development, as it is already laid down in the “Brundtland Report” (United Nations, 1987) and in Rio (2012) [1] with regard to intergenerational and global responsibility and the striving for more justice. Especially against the background of the Grand Challenges (see footnote 4), the BOKU takes its responsibility seriously to contribute to solutions on an individual, operational, regional, national and international level in the direction of a sustainable development of society.

Sustainability at the BOKU includes a systemic or interdisciplinary perspective that is based on all dimensions of sustainability (ecological, economic, social, cultural, etc.) and gives particular weight to ecology as the foundation of life (see e.g. Sustain 2001, Grunwald and Kopfmüller 2006, Kopfmüller 2006, BMBF 2009, Ott 2009). The goals of ecological, social and economic sustainability are closely interlinked - sustainability must therefore always be viewed in a comprehensive context.

Sustainability or sustainable development requires designing anthropogenic systems, i.e. living, managing and producing in such a way that the limits of ecological load-bearing capacity are strictly observed (Sustain, 2001, Grunwald and Kopfmüller 2006, Ott 2009). The earth's ecosystems must not be impaired in their ability to assimilate, buffer and regenerate in order to maintain ecological resilience [2] in the long term and - against the background of the grand challenges such as the consequences of climate change - even increase it. In the sustainability-oriented work at the BOKU, the conservation of natural resources and the use of renewable resources / energies are of particular importance. This includes, among other things, the preservation of biodiversity, a solar orientation, circular economy, the avoidance of pollutant emissions and the maintenance / increase of soil fertility. The sustainable use of space and the design of the landscape are other important sustainability priorities at the BOKU.

The central postulate of social sustainability is an effort to achieve more justice, including in an intergenerational, intercultural, societal and social sense, which is reflected, among other things, in opportunities for participation and codetermination (Sustain, 2001), non-violent forms of conflict resolution as well as mutual fairness and cooperation. Questions of demographic change and its consequences (aging, intercultural societies and also strong population growth) must also be taken into account in order to ensure a life of safety, health and a high quality of life for everyone. On the one hand, social sustainability is an important element in the interactions between the BOKU and its social environment. On the other hand, social sustainability within the BOKU includes the expansion of social relationships and the maintenance of a climate of cooperation, tolerance, equal opportunities and transparency. In this way we contribute to the quality of life and health of BOKU members and external actors in our area of ​​responsibility. Economic sustainability means, on the one hand, that companies and consumers act sustainably with regard to resource use and avoid medium and long-term risks. On the other hand, economic sustainability includes maintaining the profitability of companies and economic systems while at the same time ensuring ecological and social sustainability. Responsibility for society (keyword “common good”), fairness and distributive justice as well as regional and international cooperation, eco-efficiency, sufficiency, innovation and a long-term perspective are important aspects.

Through its research and teaching, the BOKU contributes to the sustainable development of the professional fields associated with it and generally provides important innovations and competencies for sustainable development in regional, national and global economic systems. The BOKU itself acts in an economically sustainable manner by acting responsibly in relation to the environment and social issues without endangering its economic basis.

[1] Rio (2012): The Future We Want: Outcome document adopted at Rio + 20. www.un.org/en/sustainablefuture/

[2] Resilience is understood here as: the ability of a system to regain a new state of equilibrium after a shock or a disruption while maintaining its functions (robustness), as well as the ability to self-organize, adapt and transform.