John Francis: Planetwalker
One day in 1983, John Francis stepped out on a walk. For the next 22 years, he trekked and sailed around North and South America, carrying a message of respect for the Earth — for 17 of those years, without speaking. During his monumental, silent trek, he earned an MA in Environmental Studies and a PhD in Land Resources along the way.
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ABOUT John Francis
“Through his silence and walking, he learned to truly listen, both to other people and the world around him. Through his silence and walking he learned to become a good steward of the earth.
Born the son of West Indian immigrants in North Philadelphia, John overcomes fear and the objections of his family as he walks from California to Montana in silence.
In 1990, when he reaches the East Coast, the United Nations Environment Programme appoints him goodwill ambassador to the world’s grassroots communities, and the U.S. Government recruits him to write Oil Spill regulations following the Exxon Valdez disaster.
His book ‘Planetwalker’ is the deeply personal and engaging story of his remarkable journey: the positive experiences, the challenging times, the diverse characters encountered, the majesty of our land – and the wisdom he gained along the way. Along with John’s poems, drawings, and watercolors, the book also contains practical suggestions on how we too can become better stewards of the earth and make our own pilgrimages both great and small.
He contributed to the U.S. Coast Guard’s Oil Pollution Act of 1990, rewriting transportation regulations in the wake of the Exxon Valdez spill, and founded ‘Planetwalk’, a Non Profit environmental education organisation.
He relates the experience of his quiet protest in his book ‘Planetwalker: 22 Years of Walking. 17 Years of Silence’. Accompanied by his ever present banjo and his gentle but determined demeanor, John communicates a surprisingly pragmatic message of pilgrimage and social change.”
The VIDEO
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1. Book: Ragged Edge of Silence: Finding Peace in a Noisy world 2. Book: Planetwalker: 22 Years of Walking. 17 Years of Silence 3. Article: National Geographic: ‘Oil on the Water’
