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The world could be under strain, yet a sense of hope remains. A new award from the interdisciplinary festival the Starmus festival will inspire people to take action.

This new Earth medal bearing Jane Goodall's name will honor in memory of the esteemed scientist and conservationist who died recently. It seeks to acknowledge those who champion the natural world.

The Medal's Framework

Initial honorees will be revealed at the upcoming Starmus event in Tenerife and La Palma, scheduled from 17–22 October the coming year.

It was shared that Goodall, who was a Starmus advisory board member, had endorsed the medal's establishment. “The idea of having this award, and Starmus being entrusted with organising it, originated with Jane,” a statement said. “Her desire was that she wanted for this to occur. And I think because of the unique relationship she had with the festival.”

“This medal will acknowledge sustainable programmes undertaken to make our world improved for all living beings and ecosystems and offer support to continue such efforts,” commented a relative.

Structure and Vision

A co-founder of Starmus stated that the medal – unveiled at a prestigious venue – will likely have multiple categories.

“It will be very much similar to the Stephen Hawking award honoring scientific outreach that we created a decade past,” he explained. Goodall was an honoree of that award.

Sharing thoughts about the future of the planet, one figure said, “To be truthful, it's challenging to be optimistic. The current political climate in one major nation is conducting an assault on knowledge. This situation really cripples collective action.”

“To be honest, the situation appears very good so we have to begin to reflecting, more deeply about the consequences of human activity. This concern encompasses not only global warming, but also the whole way in which we interact with the natural world.”

A Call to Action

As a result, it was noted this is an opportune moment to follow Jane Goodall's legacy. “I think that in bestowing the prize, we will be considering this essential spirit that Jane embodied – which made her foremost concern, to transform our relationship with the other animals around us.”

A pressing concern currently was highlighted of misinformation. The focus of next year’s festival is set as “the search for truth”.

“It has become apparent that factual reality is becoming a matter of debate when politics are involved. This is a perilous development,” it was said. “Climate research is a science; it is impossible to have any influence from politics in climate science.”

Hope and Determination

The aspiration remains that the medal will spur concrete steps. “The purpose is encouraging people to engage and to care and to strive toward these goals, really. Whether or not we feel hopeful, we have to focus on doing the best we can,” it was added. “Be prepared for failure, yet we must continue striving towards succeeding.”

A descendant involved in conservation work expressed hope that “given direction and once enabled, people are capable of being diligent stewards of our planet”, pointing to the initiatives of an institute that, among its other activities, helps the next generation become engaged with their community, animals, and environment.

“As my late grandmother constantly told everyone, the choices we make each day are significant and the responsibility lies with us the kind of difference we make,” he said. “There is still time and the Starmus Jane Goodall Earth medal will give encouragement and raise awareness about beneficial initiatives that people are making.”