John Francis

John Francis, Ph.D., is known the world over as the Planetwalker. In 1971, Francis witnessed an oil spill in San Francisco Bay. The effects of the oil pollution compelled him to stop using motorized vehicles. Several months later, to end the arguments he found himself getting into about the power of one person's actions, he took a vow of silence. His non-motorized lifestyle lasted 22 years, and his silence 17. During that time, Francis walked across the United States, earning a B.S at Southern Oregon State College, an M.S. in environmental studies at the University of Montana, and a Ph.D. in Land Resources program at the Nelson Institute. After graduation, Francis wrote oil spill regulations for the U.S. Coast Guard, but was then drawn back to travel, sailing, and walking through the Caribbean and the length of South America as a goodwill ambassador to the World's Grassroots Communities for the United Nations Environment Program. In 2011 he served as visiting associate professor of environmental studies for The Nelson Institute. He served as Commissioner for the Borough of West Cape from May 2017 to 2022. Dr. Francis is an education fellow and explorer at the National Geographic Society. He is also the author of Planetwalker and The Ragged Edge of Silence: Finding Peace in a Noisy World. Speaking Internationally on Sustainability and Environmental Justice, his illustrated children's book Human Kindness: True Stories of Compassion and Generosity that Changed the World, published in September of 2022.