Landscape for Life™ Online Training Cultivating Sustainable and Resilient Landscapes

The Landscape for Life™ Train-the-Trainer program empowers you to lead courses that help people in your community create healthy, resilient landscapes.

Designed for educators who want to make a difference

If your work centers on helping others understand the connections between people, place, and the natural world, this program meets you where you are. It’s built for:

• Environmental outreach and sustainability coordinators
• Extension educators and specialists
• Master Gardeners and Master Naturalists
• Public and community educators
• Landscaping professionals and consultants
• Public garden and park education staff

Are you a community educator working in an independent, volunteer, or limited-budget role? Apply for the discounted community rate.

Course Schedule

• Week One: Introduction to Sustainable Landscapes
• Week Two: The Role of Soils in Sustainable Landscaping
• Week Three: Water Considerations and Practices
• Week Four: Plant Selection & Strategies for Sustainability
• Week Five: Design, Materials, & Maintenance
• Week Six: Green Infrastructure: Rainwater Harvesting & Gardening
• Week Seven: Gardening for Pollinator & Wildlife Habitat
• Week Eight: Wrap Up, Toolbox & Group Presentations

A flexible, supportive learning experience

• Flexible online learning: Self-paced modules introduce key ecological concepts, including soil health, water, plants, biodiversity, and climate resilience.
• Weekly live webinars: Join instructors and peers for discussion, coaching, and practical examples you can adapt for your own teaching.

Connect with peers and experts

This program blends self-paced online modules with weekly live webinars. This format gives you room to absorb foundational ecological concepts while also connecting with experts and peers for real-time discussion, coaching, and collaboration. Throughout the course, you’ll examine how soil health, water management, plant selection, biodiversity, and climate resilience intersect—and how those relationships translate into practical lessons for your learners.

You’ll experience firsthand how to build momentum, foster engagement, and guide diverse audiences through sustainable landscaping concepts.

Help your community take action

Today’s communities face increasing pressure from drought, biodiversity loss, climate instability, extreme weather, and more. Communities need leaders who can help them respond with nature-based solutions grounded in science and accessible to everyone.

This program helps you:

• Teach ecological concepts in clear, practical ways
• Inspire community members to adopt sustainable landscaping practices
• Support organizations seeking deeper environmental outreach
• Create new educational or revenue-generating opportunities
• Guide conversations that build resilience and shared well-being

Ultimately, you’ll gain the training, content, and instructional skills to help community members become sustainable landscape practitioners and advocates.

What sets Landscape for Life™ apart

Few programs prepare educators specifically to teach sustainable landscaping using a complete, science-based, turnkey curriculum. Landscape for Life™ stands out through:

• A comprehensive suite of ready-to-teach materials
• Nationally recognized partners and research-driven content
• Live support and peer collaboration
• A certificate of completion from CSU and the U.S. Botanic Garden
• A curriculum adaptable to diverse regions, climates, and audiences

Learners receive access to the course for 1 year from the time of registration to complete the course. Noncredit courses do not produce academic credit nor appear on a Colorado State University transcript.

Important Information

Prerequisite: There are no prerequisites for open-entry courses. Students need reliable internet and a computer/laptop to access course content.

Please email csuext_programs@colostate.edu if you have questions.

Course Dates: July 13-Sept. 14, 2026 online (w/ optional live webinars)

Registration Start Date: May 4, 2026

Registration End Date: June 30, 2026

Tuition: $795. If cost is a barrier, please reach out for assistance.

Please note that there are no refunds for open entry courses.