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The world might be facing challenges, however optimism persists. A novel accolade originating at the interdisciplinary festival the Starmus festival aims to encourage the public to act.

The medal will be given in honour of the celebrated scientist and conservationist who died recently. It seeks to acknowledge those who champion the natural world.

Award Details

Initial honorees will be revealed during the Starmus VIII festival in the Canary Islands, which will run from 17–22 October next year.

Reports indicate that Goodall, who was a member of the festival's board, had backed the award’s creation. “The vision of having this award, and the festival being tasked with organising it, is Jane’s,” a representative said. “Her desire was that she wanted this to happen. And I think due to the unique relationship she had with the festival.”

“The Starmus Jane Goodall Earth medal aims to highlight sustainable programmes carried out to create a planet improved for people, animals and the environment and offer support to carry on that work,” commented a relative.

Format and Inspiration

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

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

Sharing thoughts about the future of the planet, one figure stated, “Honestly, it’s very hard to maintain optimism. Present governance in one major nation is conducting a dismissal of evidence. This situation undermines global initiatives.”

“In truth, things don’t look particularly bright which means we need to begin to reconsidering, much more seriously regarding the impact of our actions. And that’s not only global warming, but also the whole way in which we interact with our environment.”

Inspiring Change

Consequently, it was noted this is a good time to emulate Goodall’s example. “It is believed that in bestowing the prize, the focus will be on this core philosophy of Jane’s – which made her foremost concern, to transform the way we treat the other animals around us.”

A pressing concern currently is the proliferation of disinformation. The central topic of the upcoming festival will be “the pursuit of factual understanding”.

“We realised that truth is becoming a subject of discussion when politics are involved. This is a very dangerous thing,” it was said. “The climate science is a science; it is impossible to allow interference by political agendas in this field.”

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 strive in that direction, truly. Regardless of if we feel hopeful, we must look at working our utmost,” a statement concluded. “Be prepared for failure, yet we must continue striving to achieve positive outcomes.”

A descendant involved in conservation work expressed optimism that “given direction and once enabled, humans can be diligent stewards of our planet”, highlighting the initiatives of an institute that, among its other activities, helps the next generation get involved locally, animals, and environment.

“As Jane Goodall often emphasized, our daily actions make a difference and it is up to us the kind of difference we choose to create,” he said. “There is still time and this medal will provide inspiration and raise awareness about the positive actions currently in progress.”