SATURDAY, MARCH 6 2015 >>>

1. Recycling is a way of life in western Washington, but do you wonder if you're truly making a difference? The trick to sustainability is knowing what works and what doesn't. That's where the South Sound Sustainability Expo comes in. A team of Pierce County higher-educational institutions first organized this event in 2006. Four years later, the city of Tacoma formed an Office of Environmental Policy and Sustainability, which partnered with area colleges. The expo is now held in the Tacoma Convention Center, where it's grown to include over 90 companies and nonprofits from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Among vendors present at this year's event are American Red Cross, Citizens for a Healthy Bay, Metro Parks Tacoma, Nisqually Land Trust and Tacoma Farmers Market, which hosts a Kids' Corner with a functioning mini-market. Much of the expo's financial support comes from Goodwill, Pierce County, Puget Sound Cooperative Credit Union and Tacoma Public Utilities.

2. This seems like a fun idea. Narrows Brewing Co. in partnership with Families Unlimited Network will host a Smoke on the Water Chili Cook-Off from noon to 5 p.m. Expect eight different varieties of local amateur and professional chefs' homemade chili, and each member of the crowd will have their opportunity to vote for their favorite. Proceeds from ticket sales will go directly to the support of Families Unlimited Network and their food bank.

3. Maria Jost approaches art from the viewpoint and experience of a scientist: "Don't worry I'm a scientist. I am a product of scientific training, I make the measurements, crunch the numbers and compile the data," she has stated in past art shows. But she's also an artist - an illustrator to be more precise. Jost's drawings in ink and collage are highly decorative and amazingly precise. She has produced a limited run of prints of her botanical illustrations called "Apothecary Botanicals," and will host a reception from 2-4 p.m. at Hilltop Kitchen.

4. The Harlem Renaissance produced some of the swingin'est, jazziest, cool cattin'est music of the 20th century. The black musicians that came out of New York in the period between 1919 and the early 1930s made a massive impact not only on jazz, but on American music in general. You'll hear the sound of the Harlem Renaissance in Ain't Misbehavin': The Fats Waller Musical, a musical revue and tribute to musicians of the era featuring beloved songs by Fats Waller by five great Northwest performers at 7:30 p.m. in the Pantages Theater. Encapsulating the mood of the era and the humor of his music, the show sparkles with Waller's stance that life is a journey ... for pleasure and play. This musical homage includes jazz classics like "I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter," "Honeysuckle Rose," "I Can't Give You Anything but Love" and others.

5. Travis Barker, the "Boar" to Kristen Wenlock's "Elk" in the twangy Tacoma duo Elk and Boar will perform with his band at 9:30 p.m. in Doyle's Public House.