Francis Receives International Eco-Hero Award

WEST CAPE MAY – A man who undertook a nearly two-decade vow of silence in response to frustrations with environmental disasters and lack of consideration received The 2018 International Eco-Hero Award Oct. 28 at the Planet in Focus Environmental Film Festival in Toronto, Canada. 
John Francis, Ph.D., was to join some of his heroes when he received the award given to individuals whose work “has had a significant impact on raising awareness of environmental issues through artistic expression.”
“The award was a surprise for me,” Francis said. “People like David Suzuki, Robert Redford, and Margaret Atwood have received the award; some of these people are my heroes. To be recognized in that group of people is quite an honor.”
Planet in Focus (PIF) is a charitable organization. Its mission is to use film as a catalyst for change by raising awareness of critical environmental issues through a variety of media-based initiatives.
These include: the Planet in Focus Environmental Film Festival, the Green School Tours, Eco-Film Lab, the PIF Student Film Festival and year-round screenings that showcase the best environmental films from Canada and around the world.
Suzuki is an award-winning scientist, environmentalist, and broadcaster. He is renowned for his radio and television programs that explain the complexities of the natural sciences.
Renowned as a screen-based artist – an Oscar award-winning actor, director, producer and champion of independent cinema – Redford was honored as an environmental steward and trailblazer.
A varied and prolific writer, Atwood is one of Canada’s major contemporary authors capturing the issues of the time.
Francis’ work caught the eye of the Planet in Focus team, and he was selected because the team decided he would be “a great figure to champion for their work with the environment” according to award representatives.
Francis broke his vow of silence on Earth Day 1990. In the time since, the United Nations Environmental Ambassador has been involved in revising oil transportation regulations, advocating for environmental education in schools, and has written books about his experiences and about his doctoral training in Land Management.
More recently, Francis spent three weeks earlier this year at the Punahou School, a private school in Honolulu, Hawaii that boasts former President Barack Obama as a graduate.
Francis took his youngest son with him to experience life with other students from a different culture.
Francis was there as a “spirit-and-service speaker,” talking with students in the kindergarten through 12th grades, tailoring a message meant to inspire for all levels.
He told students how he made a commitment to stop using motorized vehicles for transportation after feeling partially responsible for an oil spill in San Francisco Bay in 1971.
He quit talking on his 27th birthday to stop the arguments his new way of life created among friends and to be a better listener.
“I tried to explain about spirit in the sense that you are imbued with it, you can’t touch it,” Francis said. “Service in the sense that you have to take care of yourself, but once you do that, you need to help each other. You have to understand how we are all connected, and we’re part of the environment.
“Because we’re part of the environment, how do we treat each other?” he added, “and treat each other in a sustainable way? You’d be surprised at how it translates to the economy, to the bottom line, to how much money you earn.”
During his visit, some of the students took a vow of silence for a few days to observe the environment around them and then wrote about it.
“I think my messages resonated with the students,” Francis said. “But I learned so much from them. Children come into this world wanting to help, trusting, loving each other until they learn otherwise.”
“John has a gift for working, walking and learning alongside young people,” Daniel Kinzer, director, Luke Center for Public Service at the Punahou School, noted in an email.
“I believe one person can make a difference,” Francis said. “You just need to commit to the journey and take the first step.”
To contact Karen Knight, email kknight@cmcherald.com.