Planetwalk: Walking around the world for kindness and environmental stewardship

The Story: In 1971, after witnessing a devastating oil spill in the San Francisco Bay, Dr. John Francis took a profound step back from the noise of modern life. He stopped using motorized vehicles for 22 years and took a vow of silence that lasted 17 years, communicating only through his banjo and his painting. His journey across the Americas was not just a protest, but an affirmation of our responsibility to the planet and to one another.

Today, that journey has evolved into Planetwalk, a non-profit dedicated to fostering world kindness and environmental stewardship. Dr. Francis’s core message—that “how we treat each other is how we treat the environment”—resonates now more than ever. Currently, Planetwalk is documenting his ambitious 6,000-mile walk from Cape Town to Cairo, connecting cultures and communities across the African continent.

The Work: We had the privilege of designing and building the digital home for this incredible organization. Our goal was to create a space that felt as grounded and inviting as Dr. Francis’s own philosophy—a place where the story could breathe and engage the viewer.

• Website Development: Created a responsive, user-friendly platform that houses decades of history, including the Oscar-shortlisted Planetwalker documentary and the new “Planetwalk Africa Dispatches.”

• Ongoing Management: We provide regular updates to the site, ensuring that the latest dispatches from the road, media appearances, and campaign milestones are shared with the world in real-time.

• Community Engagement: We assist in managing the Planetwalk newsletter, a vital thread connecting Dr. Francis to over 2,000 subscribers. By facilitating these updates, we help maintain a global network of “Planetwalkers” united by a vision of kindness and ecological responsibility.