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Earth is under strain, yet there is hope. A new award from the interdisciplinary festival the Starmus festival will inspire people to take action.

The Starmus Jane Goodall Earth medal will honor to pay tribute to the celebrated scientist and conservationist who died recently. It seeks to acknowledge individuals and groups that protect the natural world.

Honoring a Legacy

Initial honorees are slated for announcement during the upcoming Starmus event in the Canary Islands, scheduled from 17–22 October next year.

It was shared that Jane Goodall, a former member of the festival's board, had endorsed the award’s creation. “The vision of having this award, and the festival being tasked to oversee it, was Jane's wish,” a representative said. “Her desire was that she wanted for this to occur. And I think due to the close bond she had with the festival.”

“The Starmus Jane Goodall Earth medal aims to highlight ongoing initiatives undertaken to make our world improved for all living beings and ecosystems and offer support for the continuation that work,” commented a relative.

Format and Inspiration

A co-founder of Starmus indicated that the medal – unveiled at a scientific institution – would probably have multiple categories.

“It will be very much similar to the Stephen Hawking award for science communication established a decade past,” it was explained. Jane Goodall herself received of that award.

Expressing concern on the outlook for Earth, a prominent voice said, “Honestly, it is difficult to feel hopeful. The current political climate globally is conducting an assault on knowledge. So this undermines collective action.”

“In truth, the situation appears very good so we have to commence reconsidering, with greater urgency regarding the impact of our actions. And that’s not just global warming, that’s the entire manner that we treat the natural world.”

Inspiring Change

As a result, observers believe it was a good time to follow her guiding principles. “I think that when we’re awarding this medal, we will be considering this core philosophy that Jane embodied – that was her foremost concern, to change our relationship with fellow creatures around us.”

A pressing concern currently was highlighted of disinformation. The theme of next year’s festival is set as “the pursuit of factual understanding”.

“It has become apparent that truth is becoming a subject of discussion where political interests are involved. This is a very dangerous thing,” he commented. “Climate research is a science; you cannot have any influence from politics in this field.”

Optimism and Resolve

The hope is that the medal will spur concrete steps. “The purpose is encouraging people to participate and to show concern and to strive toward these goals, truly. Whether or not we’re optimistic, we must focus on doing the best we can,” a statement concluded. “Accept the possibility of setbacks, yet we must have to work towards succeeding.”

A descendant involved in environmental protection shared confidence that “given direction and when empowered, humans are capable of being responsible caretakers of our planet”, highlighting the work of a foundation that, in addition to its projects, assists the youth get involved with their community, wildlife, and the natural world.

“As Jane Goodall often emphasized, the choices we make each day have an impact and it is up to us what type of impact we choose to create,” he said. “It is not too late and the Starmus Jane Goodall Earth medal will provide inspiration and raise awareness about beneficial initiatives currently in progress.”