diff --git a/damask_env.sh b/damask_env.sh
index 54dc446c6..20a475875 100644
--- a/damask_env.sh
+++ b/damask_env.sh
@@ -1,31 +1,16 @@
-#!/bin/bash
-# sets up an environment for DAMASK
-# usage:  source damask_env.sh
-
-# It would be nice to set the variables
-# depending on the location of the script
-# /!\ CAREFUL WITH HARDLINKS
-# but the ideas below don't work with sourcing this snippet.
-# scriptloc = `dirname $0`
-scriptloc=`dirname $(readlink -f $0)`
-#echo I am here: $scriptloc
-#export DAMASK_ROOT=$scriptloc
-#export DAMASK_BIN=$scriptloc/bin
-
-
-# Until the above works, we assume DAMASK
-# lives at the top of the user's home dir
-# strip the username from "MPIE\"
-me=`echo $USER |cut -d'\\' -f 2` 
-#echo user: $me
-#export DAMASK_ROOT=`echo /nethome/$me/DAMASK`
-#export DAMASK_BIN=`echo /nethome/$me/DAMASK/bin`
-export DAMASK_ROOT=~/DAMASK
-export DAMASK_BIN=~/DAMASK/bin
-
-echo DAMASK_ROOT = $DAMASK_ROOT
-echo DAMASK_BIN = $DAMASK_BIN
-# set more variables depending on the above ones
-export PATH=${PATH}:${DAMASK_BIN}
-export PYTHONPATH=${PYTHONPATH}:${DAMASK_ROOT}/lib
-export LD_LIBRARY_PATH=${DAMASK_ROOT}/lib/fftw/lib:lib/acml4.4.0/ifort64_mp/lib:lib/acml4.4.0/ifort64/lib:${LD_LIBRARY_PATH}
+# sets up an environment for DAMASK
+# usage:  source damask_env.sh
+
+currentDir=${PWD}
+if [ "${BASH_SOURCE[0]:0:1}" = "/" ]
+then cd -P `dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}"`
+else cd -P `dirname "${PWD}/${BASH_SOURCE[0]}"`
+fi
+theRoot=${PWD}
+cd $currentDir
+
+export DAMASK_ROOT=$theRoot
+export DAMASK_BIN=$theRoot/bin
+[[ "${PATH}" == *"${DAMASK_BIN}"* ]]            || export PATH=${PATH}:${DAMASK_BIN}
+[[ "${PYTHONPATH}" == *"${DAMASK_ROOT}/lib"* ]] || export PYTHONPATH=${PYTHONPATH}:${DAMASK_ROOT}/lib
+#export LD_LIBRARY_PATH=${DAMASK_ROOT}/lib/fftw/lib:lib/acml4.4.0/ifort64_mp/lib:lib/acml4.4.0/ifort64/lib:${LD_LIBRARY_PATH}