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Our planet could be under strain, but a sense of hope remains. A novel accolade from the interdisciplinary festival Starmus aims to motivate individuals to make a difference.

The medal will honor to pay tribute to the esteemed scientist and conservationist who died this year. It is designed to celebrate those who protect life on Earth.

Honoring a Legacy

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

It was shared that Jane Goodall, a former Starmus advisory board member, had endorsed the medal's establishment. “The concept behind this medal, and Starmus being entrusted with organising it, is Jane’s,” a representative said. “Her desire was she would like for this to occur. This is likely because of the very special bond she shared with us.”

“The Starmus Jane Goodall Earth medal aims to highlight sustainable programmes undertaken to make our world a better place for people, animals and the environment and offer support to continue that work,” said a family member.

Structure and Vision

One of the founders of Starmus stated that the medal – which was announced at a prestigious venue – would probably encompass various fields.

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

Expressing concern on the outlook of the planet, one figure stated, “To be truthful, it’s very hard to maintain optimism. The current political climate in one major nation is conducting a dismissal of evidence. So this significantly hampers global initiatives.”

“To be honest, the situation appears particularly bright therefore we must begin to reconsidering, more deeply about the consequences of human activity. And that’s not just global warming, that’s the whole way in which we interact with the natural world.”

A Call to Action

As a result, observers believe it was an opportune moment to honor Jane Goodall's legacy. “I think that when we’re awarding this medal, we will be considering this essential spirit of Jane’s – that was her priority, to change the way we treat fellow creatures with which we share the planet.”

A major topic currently involves the spread of disinformation. The focus of the upcoming festival is set as “the pursuit of factual understanding”.

“We realised that truth has become a matter of debate when politics is involved. And it’s a perilous development,” he commented. “Climate research is a science; you cannot allow interference from politics in climate science.”

Hope and Determination

The aspiration remains that the medal can motivate action. “It focuses on encouraging people to participate and to show concern and to work in that direction, really. Whether or not we’re optimistic, we must focus on doing the best we can,” a statement concluded. “Accept the possibility of failure, but you still continue striving towards succeeding.”

A descendant involved in conservation work shared hope that “with guidance and once enabled, humans can be responsible caretakers of Earth”, highlighting the programs of a foundation that, in addition to its projects, helps the next generation get involved with their community, wildlife, and the natural world.

“As Jane Goodall repeatedly reminded us, our daily actions make a difference and the responsibility lies with us what type of impact we make,” he said. “There is still time and this medal will provide inspiration and increase understanding about constructive efforts that are being undertaken.”