For Immediate Release
May 28, 2008

'Vermont's Finest' Peace Pioneer

Student Peace Alliance Director and Vermont Native Named One of Ben & Jerry's Peace Pioneers
Nationwide contest provides $10,000 award to two modern-day peace movement leaders

New York City, NY, 5/28/2008 – Ben & Jerry's, the Vermont-based socially conscious ice-cream maker, announced yesterday at its Times Square Scoop Shop in New York City that Aaron Voldman, Executive Director of the Student Peace Alliance (SPA) and a resident of South Burlington, Vermont, is one of two nationwide winners of its "Peace Pioneer" contest.

The ceremony was part of Ben & Jerry's joint effort with The Lennon Estate and Peace One Day, a nonprofit global peace organization, to encourage people to work for peace every day.

Award-winning actress Maggie Gyllenhaal and Jerry Greenfield, co-founder of Ben & Jerry's, presented Voldman and fellow Peace Pioneer, Robert Kent of the Peace Camp Initiative—a program that provides summer camp experiences for war-torn children from Israel and Palestine—with donations of $10,000 each for their respective organizations.

Voldman, a 21-year-old Brandeis University student and graduate of Vermont Commons School was chosen to represent the next generation of peace pioneers for his work in co-founding and directing The Student Peace Alliance (SPA), a national youth movement using education and grassroots action to advocate for legislation to establish a cabinet-level U.S. Department of Peace and Nonviolence. SPA has 100 chapters on high school and college campuses around the country.

"We're so proud that an organization such as Ben & Jerry's is recognizing the leadership in Aaron that we get to enjoy every day," said Wendy Greene, Managing Director of The Peace Alliance, the nonprofit organization leading the growing national nonpartisan grassroots movement for a Department of Peace and SPA's partner organization. "He reminds us that world peace is everybody's job, and each one of us can work to educate ourselves, our communities, and our members of Congress about the power of nonviolent conflict resolution and the importance of making the reduction and prevention of violence a national—and global—priority."

"Our generation must begin to build a culture that supports not only a peaceful tomorrow, but a peaceful today," said Julia Simon-Mishel, SPA Managing Director. "We are so grateful to Ben & Jerry's for recognizing Aaron's efforts to further the cause of peace and justice."

The event yesterday highlighted Ben & Jerry's John Lennon-inspired Imagine Whirled Peace ice cream and included a modern-day "Peace Bed-In" marking the 39th anniversary of the day John Lennon and Yoko Ono hosted their legendary event in Montreal, Canada.

The Peace Alliance is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization leading a growing grassroots movement active in all 50 states to pass legislation to create a U.S. Department of Peace. The Peace Alliance works in partnership with the Student Peace Alliance. The bill that proposes a Department of Peace, HR 808, is currently co-sponsored by 70 members of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Domestically, the Department will research, propose and facilitate practical, field-tested solutions to reduce and prevent violence. It will provide additional financial and institutional heft to strengthen and complement our current approach to violence, focusing on prevention through multi-layered strategies, including increased funding for local programs already proven effective at reducing and preventing violence. A Peace Academy, on par with the Military Service Academies, will train civilian peacekeepers and the military in the latest nonviolent conflict resolution techniques and approaches.

Internationally, the Department will research and analyze foreign policy and recommend to the President ways to address the root causes of war. The Department will also provide expert advice to the President and Congress on nonviolent means of defusing or dealing with international crises and conflicts.

For more information on HR 808 and the campaign, please visit www.thepeacealliance.org.


About Ben & Jerry's

Ben & Jerry's produces a wide variety of super-premium ice cream and ice cream novelties, using high-quality ingredients including milk and cream from family farmers who do not treat their cows with the synthetic hormone rBGH. The company states its position on rBGH on its labels. Ben and Jerry's products are distributed nationwide and in selected foreign countries in supermarkets, grocery stores, convenience stores, franchise Ben & Jerry's Scoop Shops, restaurants and other venues.

Ben & Jerry's, a Vermont corporation and wholly-owned subsidiary of Unilever, operates its business on a three-part Mission Statement emphasizing product quality, economic reward and a commitment to the community. Contributions made via the employee led Ben & Jerry's Foundation in 2007 totaled approximately $1.7 million.

Additionally, the company makes significant product donations to community groups and nonprofits both in Vermont and across the nation. The purpose of Ben & Jerry's philanthropy is to support the founding values of the company: economic and social justice, environmental restoration and peace through understanding, and to support our Vermont communities.

For the full scoop on all Ben & Jerry's Scoop Shop locations and fabulous flavors, visit www.benjerry.com.

About the Contest:
For more information on the Peace Pioneer Contest and the "Imagine Whirled Peace" project, visit www.benjerry.com/imagine