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Our planet could be facing challenges, but optimism persists. A new award from the interdisciplinary festival Starmus aims to motivate people to act.

The Starmus Jane Goodall Earth medal will be given to pay tribute to the esteemed British primatologist who died this year. It is designed to celebrate those who advocate for our planet's biodiversity.

The Medal's Framework

The first recipients are slated for announcement during the upcoming Starmus event in Tenerife and La Palma, scheduled from October 17th to 22nd the coming year.

According to statements that Goodall, a former member of the festival's board, had supported the medal's establishment. “The vision of having this award, and Starmus being entrusted to oversee it, is Jane’s,” a statement said. “Her desire was she would like this to happen. This is likely due to the very special relationship she shared with us.”

“The Starmus Jane Goodall Earth medal will acknowledge sustainable programmes carried out to build an environment a better place for people, animals and the environment and offer support to carry on that work,” said a family member.

Structure and Vision

A co-founder of Starmus indicated that the medal – unveiled at a scientific institution – will likely include several divisions.

“The intent is for it to be inspired by the Stephen Hawking award honoring scientific outreach established exactly 10 years ago,” he explained. Jane Goodall was an honoree of that very medal.

Expressing concern on the outlook for Earth, a prominent voice stated, “Frankly, it's challenging to feel hopeful. Certain policies in one major nation is conducting a dismissal of evidence. So this significantly hampers collective action.”

“Realistically, the prospects aren't particularly bright therefore we must really start reconsidering, more deeply about the consequences of our actions. And that’s not just climate change, that’s the whole way in which we interact with our environment.”

Inspiring Change

Consequently, it was noted it was a good time to follow Jane Goodall's legacy. “It is believed that when we’re awarding the prize, we will be considering this core philosophy that Jane embodied – which made her priority, to change the way we treat the other animals with which we share the planet.”

A major topic currently involves the spread of misinformation. The central topic of the upcoming Starmus festival will be “the search for truth”.

“There is a recognition that factual reality is becoming a subject of discussion when politics is involved. This is a perilous development,” it was said. “Climate research is a science; you cannot have any influence by political agendas in climate science.”

Optimism and Resolve

The hope remains that this honor will inspire action. “It’s about encouraging people to participate and to care and to work in that direction, truly. Regardless of if we’re optimistic, we have to focus on doing the best we can,” a statement concluded. “Be prepared for failure, but you still continue striving to achieve positive outcomes.”

A descendant involved in conservation work expressed optimism that “given direction and once enabled, humanity can be responsible caretakers of Earth”, citing the work of a foundation which, in addition to its projects, empowers the youth get involved locally, animals, and environment.

“As Jane Goodall often reminded us, the choices we make each day have an impact and it is up to us what type of impact we make,” he said. “It is not too late and the Starmus Jane Goodall Earth medal will provide inspiration and raise awareness regarding the positive actions that are being undertaken.”