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Our planet might be facing challenges, but a sense of hope remains. A novel accolade originating at the interdisciplinary festival Starmus seeks to inspire the public to act.

The Starmus Jane Goodall Earth medal will be given to pay tribute to the celebrated British primatologist who passed away recently. It seeks to acknowledge those who protect the natural world.

Honoring a Legacy

Initial honorees are slated for announcement at the upcoming Starmus event in the Canary Islands, which will run from October 17th to 22nd next year.

It was shared that Goodall, a former member of the festival's board, had backed the award’s creation. “The idea behind this medal, and the festival being tasked to oversee it, originated with Jane,” a statement said. “She expressed that she wanted this to happen. And I think because of the unique connection she shared with us.”

“The Starmus Jane Goodall Earth medal aims to highlight enduring projects undertaken to build an environment a better place for all living beings and ecosystems and foster motivation for the continuation that work,” commented a relative.

Format and Inspiration

A co-founder of Starmus stated that the medal – which was announced at a scientific institution – will likely have multiple categories.

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

Expressing concern on the outlook for Earth, one figure remarked, “Honestly, it's challenging to maintain optimism. Present governance in one major nation represents a dismissal of evidence. So this significantly hampers collective action.”

“To be honest, the situation appears particularly bright which means we need to begin to thinking again, much more seriously about the consequences of our actions. This concern encompasses not only climate change, that’s the whole way in which we interact with nature.”

Following an Example

Therefore, observers believe it was a good time to honor Jane Goodall's legacy. “It is believed that in bestowing the prize, we will be considering this core philosophy that Jane embodied – which made her foremost concern, to transform the way we treat wildlife around us.”

A major topic at present is the proliferation of disinformation. The theme of the upcoming festival will be “the pursuit of factual understanding”.

“There is a recognition that factual reality is becoming contested when politics is involved. And it’s a very dangerous thing,” he commented. “The science of climate is a science; you cannot have any influence by political agendas in this field.”

Optimism and Resolve

The hope is that the medal will spur action. “It’s about motivating others to participate and to show concern and to work in that direction, really. Whether or not we feel hopeful, we must focus on doing our utmost,” a statement concluded. “Be prepared for failure, but you still have to work to achieve positive outcomes.”

A family member involved in conservation work shared hope that “given direction and when empowered, humans can be conscientious guardians of our planet”, pointing to the initiatives of a foundation which, in addition to its projects, empowers the youth become engaged with their community, wildlife, and the natural world.

“As my late grandmother repeatedly reminded us, our daily actions are significant and the responsibility lies with us the kind of difference we make,” it was stated. “There is still time and this medal will give encouragement and raise awareness about beneficial initiatives currently in progress.”