Stars Hold Bed-In For Peace

Thirty nine years ago, celebrities didn’t have to travel round the world to give peace a chance. They didn’t need to rush to the poorest places, be seen at the flashiest charity parties, donate their old clothes to online auctions (well, they didn’t have the internet, so that last one was definitely out of the question). All they needed to do was stay in bed. Just ask John Lennon and Yoko Ono. OK, so you can’t exactly ask John Lennon, but you get the idea. Because back in 1969, when that illustrious pair held their famous bed-ins for peace, the world was a much simpler place – people wore their hair long, their feet bare, and smiled more than today. And believe it or not, history repeated itself last week.

Award-winning actress and peace activist Maggie Gyllenhaal, founder of Peace One Day Jeremy Gilley, and Roy Kerwood, original photographer from Lennon’s 1969 Montreal Bed-in, spent the day in bed at the Ben & Jerry’s Times Square Scoop Shop in New York to launch a John Lennon tribute flavor, “Imagine Whirled Peace,” and announce a new social mission partnership between the ice cream makers and Peace One Day last week.

The bed-in followed a nation-wide competition held by Ben And Jerry’s Ice Creams to identify modern-day peace activists who embody the values set forth by Lennon through their work to create positive change in the world. The winners were presented with $10,000 each to donate to the peace charities of their choice.

“As a company that has supported peace initiatives throughout our thirty year history, Ben & Jerry’s is thrilled to continue its commitment through a joint effort with Peace One Day,” said Walt Freese, Chief Euphoria Officer of Ben & Jerry’s. “Founder Jeremy Gilley has worked tirelessly to help create a UN recognized annual day of global ceasefire and non-violence, now universally known as Peace Day. We applaud his efforts and are excited to join his mission to encourage people to recognize and celebrate Peace Day, and to support Peace One Day’s event on September 21st.”

The John Lennon tribute flavor, “Imagine Whirled Peace,” is described as a caramel and sweet cream based ice cream with toffee cookies and chocolate peace signs, and was developed to support Ben & Jerry’s social mission campaign.

“When Ben & Jerry’s decided to engage in a campaign about peace, we couldn’t think of a better person to exemplify the message than John Lennon,” said Jerry Greenfield, co-founder of Ben & Jerry’s. “Through his art and lyrics he imagined a world without war and asked us all to ‘Give Peace a Chance.’ We’re urging people to log on to www.PeaceOneDay.org and to make their own commitment to Peace Day.”

I just hope they didn’t drop any ice cream in the bed.