Reading a brief timeline of Francis’ journey in Geez Magazine was quite an experience for me.
Most will write him off as a fanatic. Here is the first entry:
January 17, 1971 Two oil tankers collide beneath the Golden Gate Bridge. 840,000 gallons of crude spill into the Pacific Ocean.
Several months later In response, John Francis shuns oil. Starts walking everywhere, including 25 miles to meet friends for a movie in San Rafael.
Like I said I think a number of people would write that off as being extreme or a little over the edge, but I think he seems to be a man of his convicitions. Why do I come to this decision? I’m always struck when people do something that is certainly not in their own self interest. 
I am an extremely selfish person. Very rarely do I do things that are not in my own self interest and for my own convenience. I’m making progress, but I am nowhere near living the selfless life that Christ calls us to.
Francis heard about a problem in the world (oil) and he decided that he need to respond. It is rare that I hear about a problem and respond to it, unless I have personal motivation to do so.
May we all become more like Francis in that way.