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The world could be facing challenges, however a sense of hope remains. A novel accolade originating at the science, music and arts festival Starmus seeks to motivate individuals to make a difference.

This new Earth medal bearing Jane Goodall's name will be given to pay tribute to the esteemed scientist and conservationist who passed away recently. It seeks to acknowledge individuals and groups that advocate for life on Earth.

Award Details

The inaugural winners are slated for announcement at the upcoming Starmus event in Tenerife and La Palma, scheduled from 17–22 October next year.

It was shared that Jane Goodall, a former Starmus advisory board member, had endorsed the award’s creation. “The concept behind this award, and Starmus being entrusted to oversee it, is Jane’s,” a statement said. “She said that she wanted for this to occur. This is likely due to the close connection she had with us.”

“The Starmus Jane Goodall Earth medal will recognize enduring projects carried out to make our world a better place for all living beings and ecosystems and foster motivation for the continuation such efforts,” commented a relative.

Structure and Vision

One of the founders of Starmus stated that the medal – which was announced at a prestigious venue – would probably encompass various fields.

“It’s going to be modeled after the Stephen Hawking award for science communication that we created a decade past,” it was explained. Jane Goodall was an honoree of that award.

Expressing concern about the future of the planet, one figure said, “Frankly, it is difficult to be optimistic. Present governance globally is conducting a dismissal of evidence. This situation significantly hampers global initiatives.”

“In truth, the situation appears particularly bright which means we need to commence reconsidering, more deeply regarding the impact of human activity. This concern encompasses not just global warming, that’s the entire manner that we treat our environment.”

A Call to Action

Therefore, it was noted this is a good time to follow her guiding principles. “It is believed that in bestowing the prize, we will be considering this core philosophy of Jane’s – which made her priority, to transform our relationship with the other animals with which we share the planet.”

A major topic today is the proliferation of false information. The theme of the upcoming Starmus festival will be “the pursuit of factual understanding”.

“There is a recognition that factual reality is becoming a matter of debate when politics is involved. And it’s a perilous development,” he commented. “The climate science remains a scientific discipline; you cannot allow interference by political agendas in this field.”

Optimism and Resolve

The hope remains that the medal will inspire positive change. “It focuses on motivating others to get involved and to show concern and to work toward these goals, really. Whether or not we’re optimistic, we must focus on working our utmost,” a statement concluded. “Be prepared for failure, but you still continue striving towards succeeding.”

A family member engaged in conservation work expressed hope that “given direction and when empowered, humans are capable of being responsible caretakers of Earth”, pointing to the initiatives of an institute which, in addition to its projects, empowers the next generation get involved with their community, animals, and the natural world.

“As my late grandmother often told everyone, our daily actions are significant and the responsibility lies with us what type of impact we make,” he said. “We still have an opportunity and the Starmus Jane Goodall Earth medal will offer support and increase understanding about the positive actions currently in progress.”