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Our planet could be facing challenges, yet a sense of hope remains. A novel accolade from the interdisciplinary festival the Starmus festival seeks to motivate individuals to take action.

The Starmus Jane Goodall Earth medal is to be awarded in honour of the celebrated scientist and conservationist who died recently. It seeks to acknowledge individuals and groups that champion life on Earth.

Award Details

The first recipients are expected to be announced at the upcoming Starmus event in Tenerife and La Palma, which will run from 17–22 October the coming year.

It was shared that Goodall, a former Starmus advisory board member, had endorsed the medal's establishment. “The concept of having this medal, and the festival being tasked with organising it, was Jane's wish,” a representative said. “She expressed that she wanted for this to occur. This is likely because of the unique connection she shared with the festival.”

“The Starmus Jane Goodall Earth medal will acknowledge sustainable programmes carried out to make our world a better place for all living beings and ecosystems and offer support for the continuation that work,” said a family member.

Structure and Vision

A co-founder of Starmus stated that the medal – unveiled at a scientific institution – will likely encompass various fields.

“The intent is for it to be modeled after the Stephen Hawking medal honoring scientific outreach that we created exactly 10 years ago,” it was explained. Goodall was an honoree of that very medal.

Sharing thoughts on the outlook for Earth, a prominent voice stated, “Frankly, it’s very hard to maintain optimism. The current political climate in one major nation represents a war on science. So this really cripples global initiatives.”

“In truth, the prospects aren't particularly bright therefore we must begin to reflecting, with greater urgency regarding the impact of human activity. And that’s not only global warming, that’s the entire manner in which we interact with our environment.”

Inspiring Change

As a result, observers believe it was an opportune moment to emulate Goodall’s example. “It is believed that in bestowing the prize, we will be considering this core philosophy of Jane’s – which made her foremost concern, to change the way we treat wildlife around us.”

A major topic at present involves the spread of misinformation. The focus of the upcoming festival is set as “the search for truth”.

“There is a recognition that truth is becoming a matter of debate when politics are involved. And it’s a perilous development,” he commented. “The science of climate is a science; you cannot allow interference by political agendas in climate science.”

Optimism and Resolve

The goal remains that the medal can motivate concrete steps. “It focuses on encouraging people to engage and to show concern and to strive in that direction, really. Whether or not we’re optimistic, we have to look at doing all that is possible,” a statement concluded. “Accept the possibility of setbacks, but you still have to work towards succeeding.”

A family member engaged in environmental protection shared confidence that “with guidance and once enabled, humans are capable of being diligent stewards of our planet”, citing the work of an institute which, among its other activities, empowers the next generation become engaged with their community, animals, and the natural world.

“As Jane Goodall constantly told everyone, our daily actions are significant and it is up to us the kind of difference we make,” it was stated. “There is still time and the Starmus Jane Goodall Earth medal will offer support and raise awareness about constructive efforts that people are making.”