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Our planet could be under pressure, yet optimism persists. A novel accolade from the interdisciplinary festival the Starmus festival seeks to encourage people to make a difference.

This new Earth medal bearing Jane Goodall's name is to be awarded to pay tribute to the celebrated British primatologist who passed away recently. It seeks to acknowledge those who advocate for our planet's biodiversity.

Award Details

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

Reports indicate that Goodall, a former member of the festival's board, had backed the award’s creation. “The concept behind this award, and the festival being tasked with organising it, is Jane’s,” a statement said. “She expressed that she wanted for this to occur. And I think because of the very special connection she shared with the festival.”

“The Starmus Jane Goodall Earth medal will recognize enduring projects undertaken to build an environment a better place for people, animals and the environment and foster motivation for the continuation such efforts,” commented a relative.

Format and Inspiration

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

“It will be modeled after the Stephen Hawking medal for science communication established a decade past,” it was explained. Jane Goodall herself received of that very medal.

Expressing concern about the future for Earth, one figure remarked, “To be truthful, it's challenging to maintain optimism. Present governance globally represents an assault on knowledge. This situation significantly hampers collective action.”

“Realistically, things don’t look very good which means we need to begin to reflecting, much more seriously about the consequences of our actions. This concern encompasses not only global warming, but also the whole way in which we interact with our environment.”

Inspiring Change

Therefore, observers believe this is a good time to follow Jane Goodall's legacy. “It is believed that in bestowing this medal, the focus will be on this core philosophy of Jane’s – which made her priority, to change the way we treat fellow creatures around us.”

A major topic today is the proliferation of misinformation. The focus of the upcoming Starmus festival will be “the search for truth”.

“We realised that truth has become a matter of debate where political interests are involved. This is an alarming trend,” he commented. “The climate science is a science; you cannot allow interference from politics in this field.”

Optimism and Resolve

The hope is that the medal will inspire concrete steps. “The purpose is encouraging people to get involved and to care and to strive in that direction, really. Regardless of if we’re optimistic, we have to look at doing our utmost,” a statement concluded. “Accept the possibility of failure, but you still continue striving to achieve positive outcomes.”

A descendant engaged in conservation work shared optimism that “given direction and once enabled, people are capable of being responsible caretakers of Earth”, citing the initiatives of a foundation that, among its other activities, assists the next generation become engaged with their community, animals, and environment.

“As my late grandmother repeatedly emphasized, our daily actions are significant and it is up to us the kind of difference we choose to create,” it was stated. “We still have an opportunity and the Starmus Jane Goodall Earth medal will give encouragement and increase understanding about the positive actions currently in progress.”