A Starmus Earth Medal in Honor of Jane Goodall Will Celebrate Those Working to Improve the Planet.

The world is facing challenges, yet a sense of hope remains. A fresh honor originating at the interdisciplinary festival Starmus will encourage people to act.

The Starmus Jane Goodall Earth medal is to be awarded to pay tribute to the renowned scientist and conservationist who passed away recently. It seeks to acknowledge individuals and groups that protect our planet's biodiversity.

Award Details

Initial honorees will be revealed during the Starmus VIII festival in the Canary Islands, which will run from October 17th to 22nd the coming year.

Reports indicate that Jane Goodall, who was a member of the festival's board, had backed the award’s creation. “The vision behind this medal, and the festival being tasked to oversee it, was Jane's wish,” a statement said. “She expressed she would like for this to occur. And I think because of the very special relationship she shared with the festival.”

“This medal will recognize ongoing initiatives undertaken to make our world 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 the festival stated that the medal – which was announced at a prestigious venue – will likely have multiple categories.

“It will be very much similar to the Stephen Hawking medal for science communication established exactly 10 years ago,” he explained. Goodall herself received of that award.

Expressing concern about the future of the planet, a prominent voice remarked, “Honestly, it’s very hard to feel hopeful. Present governance in one major nation is conducting a war on science. This situation undermines global initiatives.”

“Realistically, the situation appears very good which means we need to commence thinking again, with greater urgency regarding the impact of human activity. And that’s not just climate change, but also the whole way that we treat the natural world.”

A Call to Action

Therefore, it was noted this is a good time to follow Goodall’s example. “I think that when we’re awarding the prize, the focus will be on this essential spirit that Jane embodied – which made her foremost concern, to transform how we regard fellow creatures around us.”

A major topic currently involves the spread of false information. The focus of next year’s Starmus festival will be “the search for truth”.

“We realised that factual reality is becoming a subject of discussion when politics are involved. And it’s an alarming trend,” he commented. “The science of climate is a science; you cannot allow interference from politics in climate science.”

Hope and Determination

The aspiration is that this honor will inspire positive change. “The purpose is inspiring individuals to participate and to care and to work toward these goals, really. Whether or not we’re optimistic, we must focus on doing the best we can,” a statement concluded. “Be prepared for failure, yet we must continue striving towards succeeding.”

A family member involved in conservation work expressed optimism that “with guidance and when empowered, people can be responsible caretakers of Earth”, highlighting the work of a foundation which, among its other activities, helps young people get involved with their community, wildlife, and environment.

“As Jane Goodall constantly told everyone, our daily actions are significant and it is up to us what type of impact we choose to create,” it was stated. “We still have an opportunity and this medal will provide inspiration and increase understanding regarding beneficial initiatives that are being undertaken.”