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Our planet is under pressure, however optimism persists. A novel accolade originating at the interdisciplinary festival Starmus aims to encourage the public to make a difference.

The Starmus Jane Goodall Earth medal will honor in honour of the celebrated scientist and conservationist who died recently. It is designed to celebrate those who protect life on Earth.

Award Details

The first recipients will be revealed during the Starmus VIII festival in Tenerife and La Palma, scheduled from October 17th to 22nd next year.

It was shared that Jane Goodall, who was a member of the festival's board, had supported the award’s creation. “The idea of having this medal, and Starmus being entrusted to oversee it, originated with Jane,” a statement said. “She expressed that she wanted this to happen. This is likely because of the close bond she shared with the festival.”

“This medal will recognize enduring projects carried out to build an environment improved for all living beings and ecosystems and foster motivation for the continuation such efforts,” commented a relative.

Format and Inspiration

One of the founders of the festival stated that the medal – unveiled at a prestigious venue – would probably have multiple categories.

“It’s going to be inspired by the Stephen Hawking award for science communication established exactly 10 years ago,” it was explained. Goodall was an honoree of that very medal.

Sharing thoughts about the future of the planet, a prominent voice said, “Honestly, it's challenging to be optimistic. The current political climate in one major nation is conducting a war on science. So this undermines collective action.”

“To be honest, things don’t look very good therefore we must commence reconsidering, more deeply about the consequences of human activity. And that’s not just global warming, that’s the entire manner in which we interact with our environment.”

Inspiring Change

Consequently, it was noted it was an opportune moment to honor Goodall’s example. “I think that when we’re awarding this medal, the focus will be on this essential spirit that Jane embodied – that was her foremost concern, to transform the way we treat the other animals around us.”

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

“We realised that factual reality is becoming contested where political interests are involved. This is an alarming trend,” it was said. “Climate research remains a scientific discipline; you cannot allow interference by political agendas in climate science.”

Hope and Determination

The hope remains that this honor will spur concrete steps. “It’s about motivating others to participate and to show concern and to work toward these goals, truly. Regardless of if we feel hopeful, we must focus on working the best we can,” a statement concluded. “Be prepared for setbacks, yet we must continue striving toward success.”

A descendant engaged in conservation work expressed hope that “with guidance and once enabled, humanity can be conscientious guardians of our planet”, citing the work of a foundation that, among its other activities, assists the next generation become engaged with their community, wildlife, and the natural world.

“As Jane Goodall often told everyone, our daily actions are significant and the responsibility lies with us the kind of difference we make,” it was stated. “There is still time and the Starmus Jane Goodall Earth medal will give encouragement and raise awareness regarding constructive efforts currently in progress.”