Lin King: Director of the R4 Program (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Rebuy), after volunteering during his student days with Project Recycle; and chair of Staff Assembly

I would like to start by thanking the chancellor for providing me this opportunity to share with you some personal insights on being able to make a difference in the lives of others working here at UC Davis.

As the Waste Reduction and Recycling manager, I work with the campus community to promote conservation efforts. Originally, I thought this job would be a piece of cake. What could be so hard? Everyone knows it's a good thing to recycle. But as soon as I got started, I realized I just met my challenge by running into a 300-pound gorilla called "change."

So, our answer to this challenge has been our persistence, commitment and education. My incredible student staff and I teach everyone that their individual efforts can make a huge impact in the world, and the ones willing to give it a try soon become my biggest advocates for recycling.

I have to warn you that there is a side effect. Recyclers can't stop looking into trash and recycling bins to see if people have recycled. In fact, my wife jokes that half our vacation photos are pictures of recycling bins and trash cans.

The biggest surprise is that I started receiving a number of e-mails and phone calls from people who have left UC Davis and wanted to know how they can start recycling programs at their work, school or university. They have been inspired to make our world better and, in the process, they are probably also inspiring others to follow in their footsteps.

Recycling also got me involved with Staff Assembly when they asked me to help them implement recycling at the Thank Goodness for Staff event. Later, I learned that they were a group of staff who were extremely dedicated not only in recycling but in making a difference for our UC Davis staff. Of course, I could not resist joining and just last year volunteered to chair the Staff Assembly.

Having recently become a first-time father has certainly provided me a different perspective in life and work. I truly value the importance of working for our staff. We share many common priorities such as balancing our personal and professional lives. One of the most rewarding moments for me was when several families thanked me for organizing the UC Davis Day at Great America. The discounted event gave them a chance to spend time and have fun with their family and the UC Davis family.

In fact, since we are in Mondavi Center, I would like to announce that we just finalized plans with them to provide staff discounts, priority ticketing and special offers so our staff can get a chance to enjoy the arts with their families as well.

I call upon everyone here today to join me in taking an active part in making a difference. I encourage all of you to be involved and engaged in our UC Davis family and to know that you have the ability to make a positive difference in other people's lives. Thank you.

Presented here are the speaker's prepared remarks.