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Earth might be facing challenges, yet there is hope. A new award originating at the interdisciplinary festival the Starmus festival will inspire individuals to make a difference.

The Starmus Jane Goodall Earth medal is to be awarded to pay tribute to the renowned British primatologist who passed away this year. It seeks to acknowledge those who champion our planet's biodiversity.

The Medal's Framework

Initial honorees are expected to be announced at the upcoming Starmus event in Tenerife and La Palma, which will run from 17–22 October next year.

It was shared that Goodall, who was a Starmus advisory board member, had supported the award’s creation. “The vision of having this award, and the festival being tasked to oversee it, is Jane’s,” a representative said. “She expressed she would like this to happen. And I think due to the unique connection she had with the festival.”

“This medal aims to highlight enduring projects carried out to make our world improved for all living beings and ecosystems and offer support to continue such efforts,” said a family member.

Format and Inspiration

A co-founder of Starmus stated that the medal – which was announced at a prestigious venue – would probably have multiple categories.

“It’s going to be inspired by the Stephen Hawking medal honoring scientific outreach that we created exactly 10 years ago,” he explained. Jane Goodall was a recipient of that award.

Sharing thoughts about the future of the planet, one figure said, “To be truthful, it's challenging to maintain optimism. The current political climate globally is conducting an assault on knowledge. This situation significantly hampers collective action.”

“In truth, the prospects aren't particularly bright therefore we must begin to thinking again, much more seriously regarding the impact of our actions. This concern encompasses not just climate change, but also the whole way in which we interact with our environment.”

Inspiring Change

Therefore, observers believe this is a good time to emulate her guiding principles. “It is believed that when we’re awarding this medal, we will be considering this essential spirit of Jane’s – that was her foremost concern, to transform how we regard wildlife with which we share the planet.”

A pressing concern at present involves the spread of misinformation. The focus of next year’s festival is set as “the search for truth”.

“We realised that truth has become a subject of discussion where political interests is involved. This is a very dangerous thing,” it was said. “The climate science remains a scientific discipline; you cannot have any influence by political agendas in this field.”

Optimism and Resolve

The hope remains that this honor will spur positive change. “The purpose is motivating others to get involved and to show concern and to work in that direction, truly. Whether or not we feel hopeful, we have to focus on doing our utmost,” it was added. “Be prepared for setbacks, but you still have to work towards succeeding.”

A descendant involved in environmental protection expressed optimism that “given direction and when empowered, humans are capable of being diligent stewards of our planet”, pointing to the initiatives of an institute which, among its other activities, assists the youth get involved locally, animals, and environment.

“As my late grandmother often told everyone, our daily actions have an impact and it is up to us what type of impact we make,” he said. “There is still time and the Starmus Jane Goodall Earth medal will offer support and raise awareness regarding the positive actions that people are making.”