For the first 18 years of Ryan Lark’s life, he lived beside large fields of corn in the Chicagoland near Joliet, Illinois.

In fact, it was running through fields taller than himself that helped Lark discover his love for the environment.

So, as the years passed and Lark watched his hometown turn into an urban sprawl, it was no surprise when his drive to find a way to help his community and the environment only grew.

After graduating high school, Lark left his home to attend the University of Kentucky. Although he started only as an animal science major, Lark said he eventually added biology and environmental sustainability majors to his studies as well.

For Lark, it was his friends, family and community that helped him see the world from a positive aspect and shape him into the person he is today.

Born into a family of educators, Lark said although he did not follow in the exact steps of his family, he still found himself working at a university.

Now a zero-waste specialist at UK, Lark said he takes his role very seriously by making sure he helps guide how operations and experiments happen not just on campus, but also state-wide.

“You don’t want to be doing anything that’s harming other people, harming the environment,” Lark said. “You shouldn’t just be preaching what you say (or) what you think should happen, you should always be living that way.”

As Lark’s efforts in making UK a zero-waste campus continue, his aspirations for the environment and the community continue to grow as well.

“One thing that is important to me (is) to make sure things are successful,” Lark said. “(And to) make sure that we aren’t making people’s lives more difficult.”

According to Lark, he does not see himself moving from Lexington anytime soon, and has, over the years, been able to find a community within his workplace that feels like family.

For Lark, living authentically and making sure he lives up to his values is what makes him become a more positive person in his community.

“Being able to affect an entire campus community and make it more sustainable is always my dream,” Lark said.