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Earth is facing challenges, however there is hope. A fresh honor originating at the interdisciplinary festival the Starmus festival seeks to motivate the public to act.

This new Earth medal bearing Jane Goodall's name is to be awarded to pay tribute to the esteemed British primatologist who passed away this year. It is designed to celebrate individuals and groups that protect life on Earth.

Award Details

Initial honorees are slated for announcement at the upcoming Starmus event in the Canary Islands, which will run from 17–22 October next year.

Reports indicate that Jane Goodall, who was a member of the festival's board, had backed the award’s creation. “The concept behind this award, and Starmus being entrusted with organising it, was Jane's wish,” a representative said. “She expressed she would like this to happen. This is likely because of the unique bond she shared with the festival.”

“This medal will acknowledge ongoing initiatives undertaken to create a planet improved for all living beings and ecosystems and foster motivation to carry on such efforts,” commented a relative.

Format and Inspiration

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 inspired by the Stephen Hawking award honoring scientific outreach that we created a decade past,” he explained. Jane Goodall herself received of that very medal.

Sharing thoughts about the future of the planet, one figure said, “Frankly, it's challenging to feel hopeful. Present governance globally represents a war on science. So this significantly hampers collective action.”

“To be honest, things don’t look very good therefore we must commence reconsidering, more deeply regarding the impact of our actions. And that’s not only global warming, that’s the entire manner that we treat nature.”

A Call to Action

Therefore, it was noted this is a good time to follow her guiding principles. “I think that when we’re awarding this medal, the focus will be on this core philosophy of Jane’s – that was her priority, to change our relationship with wildlife around us.”

A major topic currently is the proliferation of disinformation. The theme of next year’s Starmus festival will be “the search for truth”.

“It has become apparent that truth is becoming a subject of discussion when politics is involved. This is a very dangerous thing,” it was said. “The climate science is a science; it is impossible to have any influence by political agendas in climate science.”

Hope and Determination

The hope remains that this honor will inspire positive change. “It focuses on motivating others to participate and to care and to work toward these goals, really. Whether or not we feel hopeful, we have to look at working the best we can,” a statement concluded. “Be prepared for failure, yet we must continue striving toward success.”

A descendant involved in conservation work expressed optimism that “with guidance and when empowered, humans are capable of being diligent stewards of Earth”, citing the work of a foundation which, among its other activities, assists young people get involved with their community, wildlife, and environment.

“As Jane Goodall constantly reminded us, the choices we make each day are significant and the responsibility lies with us what type of impact we make,” it was stated. “It is not too late and this medal will give encouragement and increase understanding regarding beneficial initiatives that people are making.”