Delta College
IN-2: Innovation 2

The Peace Pole project was a collaborative that fully addressed the Triple Bottom Line of sustainability. The project was paid for with a grant from the Delta Foundation and initiated by faculty from the Humanities and Construction Technology disciplines. Bill Benjamin, a student in the residential construction program at Delta, was one of several students involved in creating the seven peace poles. He prepped the wood, glued it together into squares that were cut into the hexagon shape, and programmed a CNC router to carve words of peace into the poles. A ceremony was held to dedicate the installment of the first pole in the campus signature courtyard. The pole stands as an enduring symbol of the college's global commitment. It also serves as a sign of Delta's commitment to sustainability, as it is made from recycled wood from the campus Pioneer Gymnasium bleachers which were replaced. In all, seven peace poles were made, providing a learning experience for several Delta students, who made and engraved them in several languages. The six-sided poles stand about 5 feet tall and are engraved on all sides with the message "May Peace Prevail on Earth" in six different languages: Japanese, Arabic, Spanish and Swahili, English, and American Sign Language. Two of the poles were sent to Kenya, where they were placed at the Rift Valley Institute of Science and Technology and at the Tracom College of Professional Studies, both of which have exchange programs with Delta. A third was sent to Japan and a fourth to China. The last two poles went to the Zilwaukee International School in our neighboring Saginaw County and to the Christa McAuliffe Middle School in Bay City, where it has become a social studies project. The Peace Pole Project was originated in Japan by Masahisa Goi, who in 1955 founded the international Movement of Prayer for World Peace and dedicated his life to spreading a message of peace in response to the bombing of Hiroshima. About 200,000 peace poles have been erected in 200 countries around the world, where they can be found in town squares, school yards and places of worship. The poles, all inscribed with the message "May Peace Prevail on Earth," have come to be known as international symbols of peace.