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The world is facing challenges, but a sense of hope remains. A novel accolade from the interdisciplinary festival the Starmus festival seeks to inspire the public to make a difference.

The Starmus Jane Goodall Earth medal is to be awarded to pay tribute to the esteemed scientist and conservationist who passed away recently. It seeks to acknowledge individuals and groups that protect the natural world.

Honoring a Legacy

Initial honorees are expected to be announced at the upcoming Starmus event in the Canary Islands, scheduled from 17–22 October next year.

It was shared that Goodall, who was a member of the festival's board, had endorsed the award’s creation. “The vision behind this award, and Starmus being entrusted with organising it, is Jane’s,” a statement said. “She expressed she would like for this to occur. And I think due to the close bond she had with us.”

“This medal will recognize sustainable programmes carried out to build an environment improved for people, animals and the environment and provide encouragement 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 – will likely have multiple categories.

“It’s going to be very much similar to the Stephen Hawking award for science communication established a decade past,” it was explained. Jane Goodall was a recipient of that very medal.

Sharing thoughts about the future of the planet, a prominent voice stated, “To be truthful, it's challenging to maintain optimism. Present governance globally represents a war on science. This situation really cripples global initiatives.”

“To be honest, things don’t look very good which means we need to really start reconsidering, with greater urgency regarding the impact of our actions. And that’s not only climate change, but also the whole way that we treat nature.”

Inspiring Change

As a result, it was noted it was an opportune moment to honor Goodall’s example. “I think that in bestowing this medal, we will be considering this core philosophy that Jane embodied – that was her foremost concern, to transform the way we treat wildlife with which we share the planet.”

A pressing concern today is the proliferation of misinformation. The focus of the upcoming Starmus festival is set as “the pursuit of factual understanding”.

“We realised that truth is becoming a subject of discussion where political interests are involved. And it’s an alarming trend,” he commented. “The science of climate remains a scientific discipline; you cannot have any influence by political agendas in this field.”

Optimism and Resolve

The aspiration is that the medal will spur concrete steps. “It focuses on motivating others to get involved and to care and to work in that direction, really. Whether or not we feel hopeful, we have to look at working all that is possible,” a statement concluded. “Be prepared for setbacks, but you still continue striving towards succeeding.”

A descendant engaged in conservation work shared confidence that “given direction and once enabled, humans are capable of being conscientious guardians of our planet”, pointing to the initiatives of a foundation which, among its other activities, empowers the next generation become engaged locally, wildlife, and the natural world.

“As my late grandmother often told everyone, our daily actions make a difference and the responsibility lies with us what type of impact we choose to create,” it was stated. “There is still time and the Starmus Jane Goodall Earth medal will give encouragement and raise awareness about beneficial initiatives that people are making.”