Environment & Sustainability
Most of us appreciate or enjoy being outdoors and are conscious of this and that having access can be a significant factor in our health and wellbeing.
Some enjoy the spaces for quiet reflection or to watch and listen to wildlife. Others paint, photograph or record what they see or enjoy others’ depictions. Yet, we cannot take being outdoors in nature for granted. We need to do more to create access, sustainable change and meaningful experiences.
At City Lit, we offer a range of courses on nature, climate change and sustainability that will build your knowledge and skills, expand your horizons and give you new ideas on how to engage in everyday sustainable practices and understand the global aspects of the climate crisis and how humanity is currently addressing it.
Please explore our courses below.
- Global issues
Course start date: Thu 17 Sep 2026Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Sebastien ArdouinThrough the study of some of the key actors and main issues that affect people across continents, you will gain the skills and knowledge to analyse today’s world and the challenges we all face.Full fee £299.00 Senior fee £239.00 Concession £194.00 - Find your way without a map: Orienting from natural signs Course start date: Sat 3 Oct 2026
Location on this date: Off Site
Tutors: Christopher CollierSee nature in a whole new way by learning some basic, practical tips for navigating via natural clues and signs. You’ll never be lost without your phone again! Please note that this is a one-off, offsite session. Meeting point: Greenwich Park.
Full fee £39.00 Senior fee £31.00 Concession £25.00 - Try it out: garden design Course start date: Fri 9 Oct 2026 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Alison WorsterGet a taste of how you can improve your outside spaces. In this online workshop you will learn how to assess an outside space and complete a short exercise in garden design planning. A great preparation for our range of beginners garden design courses.Full fee £59.00 Senior fee £59.00 Concession £59.00 - An introduction to Jainism Course start date: Sat 17 Oct 2026
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Ketan VariaThis course is an introduction to Jain philosophy, with a particular emphasis on its relevance to environmentalism.Full fee £89.00 Senior fee £71.00 Concession £58.00 - Earth's six major mass extinctions: an introduction Course start date: Sat 5 Dec 2026
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Gary RetallickAn introductory course on a long-term perspective of extinction events throughout earth’s history, reminding us of the fragility of the planet's ecosystems. Looking back over the last 450 million years of earth’s history we will go beyond the extinction of the dinosaurs to mass extinctions that were even more devastating.
Full fee £79.00 Senior fee £63.00 Concession £51.00 - Design your own garden Course start date: Wed 20 Jan 2027
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Alison WorsterExplore the principles of planting design using form, line and texture to create dynamic planting schemes. In weekly workshops, improve the breadth of your plant knowledge whilst developing the skills and techniques of garden designers.Full fee £319.00 Senior fee £255.00 Concession £207.00 - Botany: a taster Course start date: Sat 13 Mar 2027
Location on this date: Off Site
Tutors: Letta JonesJoin us for a one-day taster course to discover the breadth of the plant world and evaluate some common plants used for ornamental and medicinal purposes. The day will include a morning, classroom-based session at City Lit and an afternoon visit to explore plant life at Lincoln's Inn Fields.Full fee £89.00 Senior fee £71.00 Concession £58.00 - Nature writing Course start date: Sat 8 May 2027
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Julie GartonWhat greater muse could a writer ask for than the wonders of the planet that surrounds them? Learn how to capture the majesty of nature on the page with this exciting course in creative non-fiction.Full fee £79.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £51.00 - Writing eco-poetry Course start date: Sat 19 Jun 2027
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Sarah WestcottHow might poets write about the natural world today, and what is an eco-poem?Full fee £79.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £51.00 - Design your own garden intensive Course start date: Mon 19 Jul 2027 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Alison WorsterTransform your garden and explore design and plant selection techniques tailored to your space. Discover how to improve your garden with professional, practical garden design solutions and tips to maximise the potential of your site.Full fee £279.00 Senior fee £223.00 Concession £181.00 - Poetry and nature workshop at Keats House, Hampstead Course start date: Sat 25 Jul 2026
Location on this date: Off Site
Tutors: Eleanor PennyA two-day writing workshop on poetry and nature, set in the former residence of the Romantic poet, John Keats, as well as nearby Hampstead Heath.Full fee £149.00 Senior fee £149.00 Concession £149.00
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