Have you ever paused to reflect on why we value nature? This thought provoking webinar will explore the early literary origins of the nature aesthetic and arboreal iconography– from biblical text and the tree of life to the complex language of trees and the emergence of environmentalism. In this session, environmental professionals can strengthen their appreciation of the origins of the human response to green spaces and how the intersection between literature and aesthetics can enlighten us and inform the serious philosophical questions we face in modern professional practice.

Meet the speakers:

Dr Victoria Bladen teaches in literary studies and adaptation at The University of Queensland, Australia and has twice received a Faculty award for teaching excellence. Dr Bladen’s forthcoming monograph The Tree of Life and Arboreal Aesthetics in Early Modern Literature will be published by Routledge in their World Literature and the Environment series.

Dr Alan Chenoweth is an ethicist, Certified Environmental Practitioner and Registered Landscape Architect, Adjunct Research Fellow at Griffith University, with qualifications in agricultural science, landscape architecture, planning and a PhD in the ethics of professional environmental practice. Now semi-retired from consultancy, he has expertise in plant ecology, conservation, environmental planning and urban issues and a Churchill Fellowship in social housing. Alan served on the Certification Board of the Environment Institute of Australia and New Zealand (EIANZ) for its first 14 years, chaired the CEnvP Board 2014-19, is currently on the EIANZ Board and is an Honorary Life Member of EIANZ.