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Our planet could be under strain, however optimism persists. A new award from the interdisciplinary festival the Starmus festival seeks to inspire the public to take action.

The Starmus Jane Goodall Earth medal will honor in honour of the celebrated scientist and conservationist who passed away this year. It is designed to celebrate individuals and groups that advocate for life on Earth.

The Medal's Framework

The first recipients will be revealed during the Starmus VIII festival in the Canary Islands, scheduled from October 17th to 22nd the coming year.

Reports indicate that Jane Goodall, a former Starmus advisory board member, had endorsed the award’s creation. “The vision behind this award, and Starmus being entrusted to oversee it, originated with Jane,” a representative said. “Her desire was that she wanted this to happen. This is likely because of the unique connection she shared with us.”

“This medal aims to highlight ongoing initiatives undertaken to build an environment improved for all living beings and ecosystems and foster motivation to continue such efforts,” commented a relative.

Format and Inspiration

A co-founder of Starmus noted that the medal – which was announced at a prestigious venue – will likely include several divisions.

“It’s going to be very much similar to the Stephen Hawking medal honoring scientific outreach established a decade past,” he explained. Goodall herself received of that award.

Expressing concern about the future for Earth, a prominent voice said, “Frankly, it's challenging to feel hopeful. The current political climate in one major nation is conducting an assault on knowledge. So this significantly hampers global initiatives.”

“In truth, the prospects aren't very good so we have to really start reflecting, more deeply regarding the impact of our actions. This concern encompasses not only climate change, that’s the whole way that we treat our environment.”

Inspiring Change

As a result, it was noted this is an opportune moment to emulate Jane Goodall's legacy. “I think that in bestowing this medal, we will be considering this essential spirit of Jane’s – that was her foremost concern, to change our relationship with wildlife with which we share the planet.”

A major topic at present involves the spread of misinformation. The focus of the upcoming festival will be “the pursuit of factual understanding”.

“There is a recognition that truth is becoming a subject of discussion where political interests is involved. This is a very dangerous thing,” he commented. “The science of climate is a science; you cannot have any influence from politics in climate science.”

Hope and Determination

The aspiration is that the medal will spur action. “It focuses on inspiring individuals to participate and to care and to work in that direction, truly. Regardless of if we feel hopeful, we must focus on doing our utmost,” a statement concluded. “Accept the possibility of failure, but you still continue striving toward success.”

A family member involved in conservation work shared optimism that “given direction and once enabled, humans are capable of being responsible caretakers of Earth”, highlighting the programs of an institute that, among its other activities, assists the youth get involved locally, animals, and the natural world.

“As Jane Goodall often reminded us, the choices we make each day have an impact and the responsibility lies with us the kind of difference we choose to create,” he said. “We still have an opportunity and this medal will provide inspiration and increase understanding regarding beneficial initiatives that are being undertaken.”