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.
- Full fee £69.00 Senior fee £55.00 Concession £45.00
- The physics of lifeCourse start date: Sun 11 May 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Radmila TopalovicFind out why physics is the science upon which everything depends. In this course we will use basic physics concepts to understand the biological processes in living organisms, including the relatively new field of quantum biology. - Try it out: garden designCourse start date: Fri 19 Sep 2025 (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 - The geology beneath British landscapesCourse 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. - Full fee £79.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £51.00
- Garden History through London's ParksCourse start date: Mon 2 Jun 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Explore Garden History through iconic London Parks, discover how politics have influenced Garden Design and how Garden Design trends have influenced our relationship with nature. There will be one onsite session followed by guided walks in Hyde Park, Green Park, Regent’s Park and the King’s Cross Development.Tutor: Nathalie Puget.Full fee £119.00 Senior fee £95.00 Concession £77.00 - Shinrin-yoku: nature therapyCourse 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 - Printmaking weekend: Collagraph techniquesCourse start date: Sat 7 Jun 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Rosey PrinceMake and print a collagraph exploiting texture and colour using readily available and simple materials with a low environmental impact. The handmade matrix is deceptively simple to construct, the printed results often richer and more detailed than expected when run through the press. All welcome.Full fee £169.00 Senior fee £169.00 Concession £169.00 - Nature Connection in the City: Nurturing Mental Well-Being with Urban Green SpacesCourse start date: Sat 7 Jun 2025
Location on this date: Off Site
Tutors: Christopher CollierAmidst the bustle of urban life, finding moments of solace and nature connection can be a challenge. Yet research has shown that proximity to green spaces and cultivating connections with nature can significantly enhance mental well-being and overall quality of life. This session will explore the transformative power of nature in urban environments through a mix of informative content and participatory techniques.Full fee £29.00 Senior fee £23.00 Concession £19.00 - Full fee £179.00 Senior fee £143.00 Concession £116.00
- Eco-Ciné ClubCourse start date: Wed 11 Jun 2025
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Katie GossCome and join us at the Eco Ciné-Club, where you will have the opportunity to view and discuss the work of innovative filmmakers whose work uses visual culture as a means of re-framing our relationships with changing landscapes, climates and more-than-human beings. A development from our existing Cultureplex Ciné-Club courses and taking its cue from the famous Parisian Ciné-club set up by the celebrated critic and writer, André Bazin, this incarnation of the film club will allow for the viewing of a different film each week, followed by detailed discussion and debate. The film will be introduced, and placed in both its cinematic, cultural and historic context. In sharing our viewing in City Lit’s premier screening room, the Cultureplex, we will approximate the experience of watching film in the cinema, one that is intense and fully focussed in a way that other modes of viewing often are not. After the screening we will devote the rest of the class to a collective exploration of the film, led by the tutor, but involving everyone in a participatory discussion that will allow all to express their responses, their views, their thoughts on the film screened.
Please note that the first class on Wednesday 11th June will be in Room 106 and will begin at the slightly earlier time of 14:45, finishing at 17:45. Subsequent weeks will take place in the Cultureplex at the normal time of 15:00 - 18:00.Full fee £229.00 Senior fee £229.00 Concession £149.00 - Full fee £99.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £64.00
- Earth's six major mass extinctions: an introductionCourse 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. - Nature and landscape photography: London locationCourse start date: Sun 15 Jun 2025 (and 2 other dates)
Location on this date: Off Site
Tutors: Rachel WeghWidllife in the city is an exciting opportunity to work off-site and enjoy various surroundings focusing on flora and fauna. Travel to some of some of London’s finest open spaces whilst learning the photography skills required in focusing on details, landscape and capturing natures beauty. Ideal for beginners, those who want to broaden their photography skills and those wishing to continue building their photography portfolio.Full fee £79.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £79.00
Can't see a course you want?
Add this category to your waiting list to set up alerts and we will update you when new courses are released online.
Add me to waiting list