Photograph by Glenn Oakley
Photograph by Glenn Oakley
In the early 1970s John Francis gave up using motorized vehicles after witnessing the devastating effects of an oil spill in San Francisco Bay. Soon afterwards he took an even more radical step: a vow of silence that lasted 17 years, during which he undertook a pilgrimage by foot across America on behalf of the environment and world peace, earning a Ph.D. in environmental studies along the way. Through his silence and walking, he learned to truly listen, both to other people and the world around him.
Since ending his silence in 1990, Francis has served as a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations Environmental Program, 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 nonprofit environmental education organization. He relates the experience of his quiet protest in his book Planetwalker: 22 Years of Walking. 17 Years of Silence. In March 2011, National Geographic published his second book, The Ragged Edge of Silence: Finding Peace in a Noisy World.
Accompanied by his ever present banjo and his gentle but determined demeanor, Francis communicates a surprisingly pragmatic message of pilgrimage and social change.
Popular Presentations
Redefining Environment
Francis discusses how the environmental crisis is a reflection of social and economic inequality. From peace and justice to everyday civility, Francis contends that our lack of connection to one another, as well as to the Earth, is at the heart of the environmental crisis.
The Ragged Edge of Silence: Finding Peace in a Noisy World
Francis offers lessons on the need for silence and reflection in the world. The presentation Includes exercises on listening.
Learn More About John:
Pioneering activist and National Geographic Fellow John “Planetwalker” Francis took a 17-year vow of silence to walk across America, inspiring thousands. Here he offers lessons on the need for reflection in one’s life.
Daniel Fromson interviews John Francis for The Atlantic.
For almost three decades, John Francis has been a planetwalker, traveling the globe by foot and sail with a message of environmental respect and responsibility (for 17 of those years without speaking).
Environmental activist John Francis spent 22 years on a journey across America, mostly on foot and deliberately without the aid of motorized devices. For much of that time, he did not speak. He’s written about those years in the book Planetwalker: How to Change Your World One Step at a Time.
In this recent blog post, John expresses the bitter irony that even as we have just celebrated the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, we are witnessing what may turn out to be the worst oil spill in history.
Image courtesy NASA/GSFC, MODIS Rapid Response
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