Sarasota County's 11th annual Sustainable Communities workshop takes place 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 1, covering topics such as valuing nature, strategies for smarter growth, building community resilience and local food innovations. The keynote speaker is Craig Pittman, environmental reporter with the Tampa Bay Times, author of Oh, Florida!: How America's Weirdest State Influences the Rest of the Nation and Sarasota Magazine contributor. Click here to see a full list of participants and topics. The workshop takes place at the Girl Scouts of Gulfcoast Florida Event Center, 4740 Cattlemen Road, Sarasota. Registration is $20-$45.