Environment & Sustainability
Most of us appreciate or enjoy being outdoors and are conscious of this. In the lockdowns, many of us learned that access to the outdoors, nature in particular, is a privilege 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.
- Try it out: garden design
Course start date: Tue 13 May 2025 (and 1 other date)Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Alison WorsterGet a taste of how you can improve your outside spaces. You will complete a short exercise and experience our design studio. This course links directs to ‘Roof terrace and balcony design and planting’, code VF345.Full fee £59.00 Senior fee £59.00 Concession £59.00 - The geology beneath British landscapes Course start date: Sat 17 May 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Charles ClarkeBritain encompasses a fascinating variety of beautiful landscapes, from the lakes and hills of the north-west to the flatlands of East Anglia. This course gives you a practical introduction to the unique geology beneath these areas, covering main rock types and geological periods. - Garden design: small spaces Course start date: Thu 29 May 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Alison WorsterMake the most of your small garden and learn design and plant selection techniques tailored to your space. Discover how to understand your site and explore practical design solutions and tips on choosing the right materials and plants for your garden.Full fee £249.00 Senior fee £199.00 Concession £162.00 - Shinrin-yoku: nature therapy Course start date: Fri 6 Jun 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Hilary LyonsConnect with nature for health and wellbeing. This scientifically backed Japanese tradition of forest bathing has been shown to improve physical and mental health. A slow, guided, mindful walk near trees reduces stress levels and boosts your immune system. We will meet in Richmond Park. We will NOT meet at the City Lit.Full fee £59.00 Senior fee £59.00 Concession £59.00 - Garden design: container gardening Course start date: Wed 11 Jun 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Alison WorsterPlanting in containers is a valuable addition to any outside space, no matter how large or small. Discover how to enhance your garden and experiment with design and planting for successful containers.Full fee £179.00 Senior fee £143.00 Concession £116.00 - Earth's six major mass extinctions: an introduction Course start date: Sat 14 Jun 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Charles ClarkeAn introductory course which gives a long-term perspective to extinction events throughout earth’s history, reminding us of the fragility of the planet's ecosystems. While we currently see the very real effects of climate change on the planet for humans, we may forget that many biological organisms have not survived in earlier extreme conditions. 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. - Art and critical theory: rethinking 'nature' Course start date: Wed 25 Jun 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Irina ChkhaidzeExplore the role of critical theory within the field of art history, and learn new ways of thinking about art by focusing on how recent authors have been rethinking our understanding of nature.Full fee £119.00 Senior fee £119.00 Concession £77.00 - Humanity and agriculture - the Neolithic revolution Course start date: Thu 1 May 2025
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Simone ChisenaDiscover how, from the depths of prehistory, our species turned from nomadic hunter gatherers to stable, town-dwelling farmers across the Mediterranean and Europe.Full fee £169.00 Senior fee £169.00 Concession £110.00
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