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Earth is under pressure, yet there is hope. A fresh honor originating at the interdisciplinary festival Starmus seeks to inspire people to make a difference.

The Starmus Jane Goodall Earth medal will honor in honour of the esteemed scientist and conservationist who died recently. It is designed to celebrate individuals and groups that champion life on Earth.

Honoring a Legacy

Initial honorees are expected to be announced at the Starmus VIII festival in Tenerife and La Palma, which will run from October 17th to 22nd next year.

Reports indicate that Goodall, who was a member of the festival's board, had supported the award’s creation. “The concept of having this medal, and Starmus being entrusted to oversee it, is Jane’s,” a statement said. “Her desire was that she wanted for this to occur. This is likely because of the very special relationship she had with the festival.”

“The Starmus Jane Goodall Earth medal will recognize ongoing initiatives undertaken to make our world a better place for people, animals and the environment and offer support to continue such efforts,” said a family member.

Structure and Vision

A co-founder of the festival stated that the medal – unveiled at a prestigious venue – will likely include several divisions.

“The intent is for it to be inspired by the Stephen Hawking medal for science communication that we created a decade past,” he explained. Jane Goodall was a recipient of that award.

Sharing thoughts about the future for Earth, one figure stated, “Frankly, it's challenging to maintain optimism. Certain policies globally is conducting a dismissal of evidence. This situation really cripples the world’s efforts.”

“Realistically, things don’t look very good therefore we must begin to reflecting, much more seriously about the consequences of human activity. This concern encompasses not only global warming, but also the whole way that we treat our environment.”

A Call to Action

As a result, it was noted it was an opportune moment to honor Jane Goodall's legacy. “I think that when we’re awarding the prize, the focus will be on this essential spirit of Jane’s – which made her foremost concern, to transform how we regard wildlife with which we share the planet.”

A pressing concern currently was highlighted of false information. The theme of the upcoming Starmus festival is set as “the search for truth”.

“We realised that truth is becoming contested where political interests is involved. And it’s an alarming trend,” he commented. “The climate science remains a scientific discipline; you cannot have any influence from politics in climate science.”

Hope and Determination

The hope remains that the medal will spur positive change. “The purpose is inspiring individuals to engage and to show concern and to strive in that direction, truly. Regardless of if we feel hopeful, we must look at doing all that is possible,” a statement concluded. “Be prepared for setbacks, but you still continue striving towards succeeding.”

A family member involved in environmental protection expressed confidence that “with guidance and once enabled, humans can be conscientious guardians of our planet”, highlighting the programs of an institute that, among its other activities, empowers the next generation get involved locally, wildlife, and the natural world.

“As Jane Goodall repeatedly reminded us, the choices we make each day are significant and it is up to us what type of impact we make,” it was stated. “There is still time and this medal will provide inspiration and increase understanding about the positive actions that are being undertaken.”