Transition Sarasota's Eat Local Week has grown so much that it's extending well beyond a single week. The event kicks off this Thursday, Oct. 17, with a talk by a food waste expert, and doesn't end until Saturday, Nov. 2, with a fundraising dinner at a nonprofit farm.

This year's edition is the ninth Eat Local Week organized by Transition Sarasota, a nonprofit that works to fight hunger and support local, sustainable food sources. The theme running throughout the series of events is food waste, which leads to food insecurity and excess carbon emissions. A keynote speech from Sunshine Community Compost's Tracie Troxler gets Eat Local Week started at 7 p.m. this Thursday, Oct. 17, at Ringling College of Art and Design, 2363 Bradenton Road, Sarasota. The event is free, but there is a suggested $10 donation.

After Thursday's kickoff, Eat Local Week will continue with Big Mama's Collard Greens Fest (Saturday, Oct. 19), a lesson in canning with Sunshine Canning (Thursday, Oct. 24), a Transition Sarasota fundraiser and film screening (Tuesday, Oct. 29), a tour of the Mote Aquaculture Research Park (Wednesday, Oct. 30) and much, much more. Visit the Transition Sarasota website for a full rundown on all of this year's events. Dig in.