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Earth is under strain, yet a sense of hope remains. A new award from the interdisciplinary festival the Starmus festival seeks to encourage people to take action.

The Starmus Jane Goodall Earth medal will be given in honour of the esteemed scientist and conservationist who died recently. It will recognise individuals and groups that protect life on Earth.

Award Details

The inaugural winners are expected to be announced during the Starmus VIII festival in Tenerife and La Palma, which will run from 17–22 October the coming year.

Reports indicate that Jane Goodall, who was a Starmus advisory board member, had supported the award’s creation. “The vision of having this medal, and the festival being tasked to oversee it, is Jane’s,” a representative said. “She expressed that she wanted this to happen. And I think because of the close relationship she shared with us.”

“This medal aims to highlight enduring projects undertaken to create a planet improved for people, animals and the environment and foster motivation to continue such efforts,” said a family member.

Structure and Vision

One of the founders of Starmus stated that the medal – unveiled at a prestigious venue – will likely include several divisions.

“It’s going to be modeled after the Stephen Hawking medal for science communication established exactly 10 years ago,” it was explained. Goodall herself received of that award.

Sharing thoughts on the outlook for Earth, one figure remarked, “To be truthful, it's challenging to be optimistic. The current political climate in one major nation is conducting a war on science. So this really cripples global initiatives.”

“To be honest, things don’t look very good therefore we must really start thinking again, much more seriously regarding the impact of human activity. This concern encompasses not only climate change, but also the whole way that we treat nature.”

Inspiring Change

Consequently, it was noted it was a good time to follow Jane Goodall's legacy. “I think that in bestowing this medal, the focus will be on this core philosophy of Jane’s – which made her priority, to transform how we regard fellow creatures with which we share the planet.”

A pressing concern currently involves the spread of false information. The central topic of the upcoming festival will be “the search for truth”.

“It has become apparent that factual reality has become a subject of discussion where political interests is involved. This is an alarming trend,” it was said. “The climate science remains a scientific discipline; you cannot have any influence by political agendas in this field.”

Hope and Determination

The hope remains that the medal will spur action. “It’s about motivating others to participate and to show concern and to strive in that direction, really. Whether or not we’re optimistic, we must look at doing the best we can,” a statement concluded. “Accept the possibility of failure, yet we must continue striving towards succeeding.”

A descendant involved in environmental protection expressed hope that “given direction and when empowered, humans are capable of being responsible caretakers of Earth”, highlighting the programs of a foundation that, among its other activities, helps the youth get involved with their community, animals, and the natural world.

“As my late grandmother constantly reminded us, the choices we make each day have an impact and it is up to us the kind of difference we make,” it was stated. “It is not too late and this medal will give encouragement and raise awareness about constructive efforts currently in progress.”