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Our planet is under strain, yet a sense of hope remains. A novel accolade originating at the interdisciplinary festival Starmus seeks to inspire individuals to take action.

The Starmus Jane Goodall Earth medal will honor to pay tribute to the esteemed British primatologist who died this year. It will recognise individuals and groups that advocate for life on Earth.

Award Details

Initial honorees will be revealed at the Starmus VIII festival in Tenerife and La Palma, scheduled from 17–22 October the coming year.

It was shared that Jane Goodall, a former Starmus advisory board member, had endorsed the medal's establishment. “The idea behind this medal, and Starmus being entrusted with organising it, was Jane's wish,” a representative said. “She expressed she would like this to happen. And I think because of the unique bond she shared with the festival.”

“The Starmus Jane Goodall Earth medal will recognize ongoing initiatives undertaken to build an environment improved for people, animals and the environment and offer support for the continuation such efforts,” commented a relative.

Format and Inspiration

A co-founder of the festival noted that the medal – which was announced at a prestigious venue – will likely have multiple categories.

“It’s going to be modeled after the Stephen Hawking medal honoring scientific outreach that we created exactly 10 years ago,” it was explained. Jane Goodall herself received of that award.

Sharing thoughts on the outlook of the planet, a prominent voice remarked, “Frankly, it is difficult to feel hopeful. The current political climate in one major nation is conducting a dismissal of evidence. This situation significantly hampers global initiatives.”

“To be honest, things don’t look particularly bright so we have to begin to reconsidering, more deeply regarding the impact of our actions. And that’s not only climate change, but also the entire manner that we treat the natural world.”

A Call to Action

Therefore, observers believe it was a good time to follow Goodall’s example. “It is believed that in bestowing this medal, we will be considering this essential spirit that Jane embodied – that was her foremost concern, to change how we regard wildlife with which we share the planet.”

A major topic today was highlighted of false information. The central topic of next year’s Starmus festival is set as “the search for truth”.

“We realised that truth has become a matter of debate where political interests are involved. This is a very dangerous thing,” he commented. “The climate science remains a scientific discipline; it is impossible to have any influence by political agendas in climate science.”

Optimism and Resolve

The goal remains that the medal will spur positive change. “The purpose is inspiring individuals to engage and to care and to work in that direction, truly. Whether or not we’re optimistic, we have to look at doing all that is possible,” a statement concluded. “Accept the possibility of setbacks, yet we must have to work to achieve positive outcomes.”

A descendant involved in conservation work expressed optimism that “with guidance and when empowered, humanity are capable of being responsible caretakers of our planet”, citing the work of a foundation which, among its other activities, empowers the youth become engaged with their community, animals, and environment.

“As my late grandmother repeatedly told everyone, our daily actions are significant and it is up to us what type of impact we choose to create,” he said. “We still have an opportunity and the Starmus Jane Goodall Earth medal will provide inspiration and increase understanding about beneficial initiatives currently in progress.”