The ESSRG is an informal university research group established in September 2004 in the Department of Environmental Economics, Institute of Environmental and Landscape Management at the Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences of St. István university, Gödöllő, Hungary. It was formed by a group of university professors and PhD students belonging to various disciplines ranging from agri-environmental engineering through economics to sociology. The multiple scientific perspective of Environmental Social Science integrates natural and social sciences in analysing and understanding the cultural, political and economic consequences and ethical aspects of environmental issues. ESSRG favours an holistic approach to ecological problems and puts a great emphasis on dialogues between the various disciplines. Our community-based research and policy-oriented empirical enquiries build upon cross-disciplinary dialogue, an extended peer community, a full range of qualitative and quantitative methodologies and problem-based learning. ESSRG aims to establish synergy in its educational and research activities. Most of ESSRG research projects build on the Participatory Action Research approach and sound methodology. ESSRG takes seriously the social responsibility of the academic sphere and embarks on various community outreach activities. In addition, ESSRG collaborates with researchers and students of other disciplines – such as biologists, anthropologists, lawyers – from various other Hungarian universities and non-governmental organisations on a frequent basis.