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Earth might be facing challenges, but a sense of hope remains. A new award originating at the interdisciplinary festival the Starmus festival aims to encourage individuals to make a difference.

This new Earth medal bearing Jane Goodall's name will be given in memory of the esteemed scientist and conservationist who passed away recently. It is designed to celebrate individuals and groups that protect our planet's biodiversity.

Honoring a Legacy

Initial honorees are expected to be announced at the upcoming Starmus event in the Canary Islands, which will run from 17–22 October the coming year.

Reports indicate that Jane Goodall, a former Starmus advisory board member, had endorsed the award’s creation. “The vision of having this medal, and Starmus being entrusted to oversee it, originated with Jane,” a representative said. “She said she would like this to happen. This is likely because of the very special connection she shared with the festival.”

“The Starmus Jane Goodall Earth medal will acknowledge enduring projects undertaken to build an environment improved for all living beings and ecosystems and foster motivation to carry on such efforts,” said a family member.

Format and Inspiration

A co-founder of Starmus noted that the medal – which was announced at a scientific institution – would probably have multiple categories.

“The intent is for it to be modeled after the Stephen Hawking award honoring scientific outreach that we created a decade past,” he explained. Goodall was an honoree of that very medal.

Sharing thoughts about the future of the planet, a prominent voice said, “To be truthful, it’s very hard to be optimistic. The current political climate globally is conducting a war on science. This situation really cripples the world’s efforts.”

“In truth, the situation appears very good therefore we must commence thinking again, more deeply about the consequences of human activity. And that’s not only global warming, that’s the whole way in which we interact with our environment.”

A Call to Action

Consequently, it was noted it was a good time to follow Goodall’s example. “I think that when we’re awarding the prize, we will be considering this core philosophy that Jane embodied – that was her foremost concern, to transform the way we treat wildlife with which we share the planet.”

A major topic currently is the proliferation of misinformation. The central topic of the upcoming Starmus festival is set as “the search for truth”.

“It has become apparent that factual reality is becoming a subject of discussion when politics is involved. This is a perilous development,” it was said. “The science of climate is a science; it is impossible to have any influence by political agendas in this field.”

Optimism and Resolve

The hope is that the medal will inspire positive change. “It focuses on inspiring individuals to get involved and to care and to work in that direction, truly. Whether or not we’re optimistic, we have to focus on doing our utmost,” a statement concluded. “Be prepared for setbacks, yet we must continue striving toward success.”

A descendant engaged in environmental protection shared optimism that “given direction and once enabled, people can be diligent stewards of our planet”, highlighting the initiatives of a foundation which, in addition to its projects, empowers young people get involved with their community, wildlife, and the natural world.

“As my late grandmother constantly reminded us, the choices we make each day are significant and the responsibility lies with us what type of impact we choose to create,” it was stated. “There is still time and this medal will give encouragement and increase understanding about beneficial initiatives currently in progress.”