John Francis

John Francis is a campaigner, public speaker, and educator who advocates for our planet. He spreads the message that our environment includes the other humans in the world, and that we must treat both our earth and our fellow humans with kindness. After witnessing an oil spill and the devastation it caused in San Francisco Bay in 1971, he stopped using motorized vehicles for 22 years, and stopped talking for 17 years in protest. Since then, John has founded the environmental awareness...See more

John Francis is a campaigner, public speaker, and educator who advocates for our planet. He spreads the message that our environment includes the other humans in the world, and that we must treat both our earth and our fellow humans with kindness. After witnessing an oil spill and the devastation it caused in San Francisco Bay in 1971, he stopped using motorized vehicles for 22 years, and stopped talking for 17 years in protest. Since then, John has founded the environmental awareness organization, Planetwalk, given a TED talk (he started talking again in 1990), and published two books for adults on his journey. According to John, also known as the Planetwalker, "The environment, actually, is about human rights, civil rights, economic equity, gender equality, and all the ways that humans interact with not only the physical environment but also with one another." He has lived all over the United States, from Point Reyes Station, California, to Cape May, New Jersey. See less