DGS TV Interviews Dr. John Francs, Planet WalkerJohn Francis was in his twenties when a 1971 oil spill in San Francisco Bay jarred his comfortable life. Even as he joined the volunteers who scrubbed the beaches and fought to save birds and sea creatures poisoned by petroleum, he felt the need to make a deeper, more personal commitment. As an affirmation of his responsibility to our planet, he chose to stop using motorized vehicles and began walking wherever he went. His decision was greeted with surprise, disbelief, and even mockery -- but it was only the start of a much deeper transformation. A few months later he took a vow of silence that would last seventeen years. During this time he earned a Ph.D. in land management and traveled extensively, walking across the entire width of the lower 48 states of the USA as well as walking to South America. In 1994, Francis decided he could be a more effective environmentalist if he began to again use motorized transportation. At the border of Venezuela and Brazil, he boarded a bus. Francis has been employed by the United States Coast Guard to work on legislation relating to management of oil spills. In 1991 he was named a United Nations Environmental Program Goodwill ambassador. In 2009 he was in Australia, walking the Great Ocean Road for a film being made by Tourism Victoria. He is the author of "Planetwalker: How to Change Your World One Step at a Time" and "The Ragged Edge of Silence: Finding Peace in a Noisy World." His life story has been optioned by Universal Studios in 2006 for a movie release, with rumor of Will Smith expressing interest to play the role of John Francis. code pour embarquer la vidéo : >>> http://www.youtube.com/embed/u_bqHTVJbpc <<< |