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Earth might be under pressure, yet optimism persists. A fresh honor originating at the interdisciplinary festival Starmus aims to inspire individuals to make a difference.

This new Earth medal bearing Jane Goodall's name will honor in memory of the renowned British primatologist who died this year. It seeks to acknowledge those who protect the natural world.

Award Details

The first recipients will be revealed at the Starmus VIII festival in Tenerife and La Palma, which will run from October 17th to 22nd next year.

It was shared that Goodall, who was a Starmus advisory board member, had backed the medal's establishment. “The vision of having this medal, and the festival being tasked to oversee it, originated with Jane,” a representative said. “She said she would like this to happen. This is likely because of the very special bond she had with the festival.”

“This medal will acknowledge enduring projects carried out to build an environment a better place for all living beings and ecosystems and provide encouragement to carry on that work,” commented a relative.

Format and Inspiration

One of the founders of Starmus stated that the medal – unveiled at a scientific institution – would probably have multiple categories.

“It will be modeled after the Stephen Hawking medal honoring scientific outreach that we created exactly 10 years ago,” he explained. Goodall was a recipient of that award.

Sharing thoughts about the future for Earth, a prominent voice said, “Frankly, it’s very hard to maintain optimism. Certain policies in one major nation is conducting a war on science. So this undermines global initiatives.”

“In truth, things don’t look particularly bright which means we need to commence thinking again, more deeply about the consequences of human activity. This concern encompasses not only global warming, but also the entire manner in which we interact with nature.”

A Call to Action

Consequently, it was noted this is an opportune moment to honor her guiding principles. “It is believed that when we’re awarding this medal, we will be considering this essential spirit that Jane embodied – that was her foremost concern, to change the way we treat the other animals with which we share the planet.”

A pressing concern at present is the proliferation of misinformation. The theme of next year’s festival will be “the search for truth”.

“We realised that factual reality has become a matter of debate when politics is involved. And it’s a perilous development,” he commented. “The climate science is a science; it is impossible to have any influence by political agendas in climate science.”

Hope and Determination

The aspiration remains that the medal will spur positive change. “The purpose is motivating others to get involved and to show concern and to strive toward these goals, truly. Regardless of if we feel hopeful, we have to look at working our utmost,” it was added. “Be prepared for setbacks, but you still have to work towards succeeding.”

A descendant engaged in environmental protection expressed confidence that “given direction and once enabled, people can be responsible caretakers of our planet”, citing the work of an institute which, in addition to its projects, helps the youth become engaged with their community, wildlife, and the natural world.

“As my late grandmother constantly told everyone, our daily actions make a difference and the responsibility lies with us what type of impact we make,” it was stated. “We still have an opportunity and this medal will offer support and raise awareness regarding the positive actions that are being undertaken.”