Buy Milk, Pay Phone Bill, Create Peace

Josh Chen (B.A., '90), the principal of Chen Design Associates, believes that peace starts with the small acts we commit in our everyday lives. "We don't make the correlation that asking for forgiveness can lead to peace," he says.

Chen is referring to number 56 in "Peace: 100 Ideas," a book produced by his award-winning
San Francisco design firm. He and his staff of seven created the striking images which accompany the list written by David Krieger of the Nuclear Peace Foundation.

In the foreword, Chen asks readers to look beyond stereotypical images of peace—love-ins, tie-dyed shirts and radical anti-war protesters. "Peace has become a marketable commodity focused on past culture that has little to do with achieving actual solutions for our current world," he writes.

The book's suggestions are both specific and broad, from "recycle" and "call your mom" to "stand up for justice, even if it means personal inconvenience or suffering." The accompanying artwork may inspire readers to linger on the pages, but Chen hopes that readers will put his ideas into practice and, to quote idea number 100, "act intentionally."

For more information: www.peace100ideas.com