Everyday Peace - You can change the world, one act at a time!

By Carrie Steele

At the PeaceJam Foundation, it is our core belief that each one of us has the power to make a huge difference, to positively impact the people around us, and to create sustainable living practices so our planet thrives for generations to come. In fact, the One Billion Acts of Peace campaign aims to inspire millions of ordinary citizens to come together and create a movement to achieve One Billion Acts of Peace by the year 2019!

One Billion Acts of Peace started with a simple idea….

Everyone matters.

Everyone can make a difference.

And together, we are unstoppable.

As many of you know, this year’s theme for the International Day of Peace, celebrated annually on September 21, is Partnership for Peace – Dignity for All. To celebrate the International Day of Peace, the PeaceJam Foundation and One Billion Acts of Peace campaign invite you to join the 1BAOP movement! It’s easy, just log onto www.1billionacts.org and create your own act of peace for Peace Day! Your individual participation matters and the partnerships we build together are what make this movement so powerful.

One Billion might sound ambitious to some, because many people think an act of peace has to be something big and heroic. While there are thousands of people doing truly wonderful BIG things all over the world, we are here to show you how easy it can be to take action today and become a creator of peace in your own everyday life.

To inspire you to get started, we have provided 5 simple acts that almost anyone can do today. Don’t be afraid to go big either if you have the ambition! On the website, you can find over 5.5 million examples of people and organizations who have already taken action and committed to make a difference in their own communities and beyond!

1. Unplug to save energy

• In the United States alone, over $10 billion in annual energy costs are wasted by idle electronics.

• Look around you and see what electronics you aren’t using that you can unplug.

• Pull the cord out of wall, and voila! You’re done! Act of peace complete.

2. Inspire the women around you

• In many cultures and societies, women are not celebrated and role models are hard to find.

• Inspire others by posting a photo of a woman who inspires you, and write why.

3. Help educate others by donating books

• Look around your house for books that have been sitting idle on your shelves for far too long

• Take the ones you want to donate and put them in a bag

• Put the bag by your door, and research which school, library, or other second hand store you’re going to bring them to

• Head over and donate them!

4. Send compassion to a loved one

• Text one of your friends who you know is going through a hard time

• Tell them what’s amazing about them, and why you appreciate having them in your life

5. Donate old business clothing to assist people looking for jobs

• Look in your closet for old dress pants, shirts, dresses, or blouses appropriate for an interview

• Again, research your local Salvation Army or other second hand store

• Head over and donate them! Who knows who you might be helping to land that job that changes their life.

Remember it’s all of the little things that add up, so the more you can start creating peace today, the happier our world can be.

Log on to www.1billionacts.org to create your act of peace today then share your acts on social media! Inspire your friends, family, co-workers, and who knows – maybe even a perfect stranger- to make a difference right now! Use the hashtags #1billionacts and #peaceday to help spread the peace!

We hope you will join us to raise awareness leading up to the International Day of Peace on September 21 and become a member of the One Billion Acts of Peace campaign today.

Believe us when we say it…You can make a difference, and together –WE ARE UNSTOPPABLE!    
 

Carrie Steele is deputy campaign manager for PeaceJam's One Billion Acts of Peace. With an extensive background in local and national poilitics, she brings her professional experience to PeaceJam's 1 Billion Acts of Peace Campaign. The campaign aims to address 10 issue areas at the core of much of the world's suffering by helping individuals and organizations to become effective agents of change. The Nobel Peace Laureates of PeaceJam have committed to work side by side with the citizens of the world to address these ten fundamental issues plaguing our planet. With the help of Google, Wells Fargo, Hill + Knowlton Strategies, Chadbourne and Parke and many others, PeaceJam has launched the "One Billion Acts of Peace" Campaign - an international global citizens' movement designed to tackle the most important problems facing our planet by inspiring 1 BILLION acts of Peace by 2020.

Click here to learn more about 1 Billion Acts of Peace