A Jane Goodall Earth Medal to Honor Those Working to Improve the World.

Our planet could be under pressure, however there is hope. A fresh honor from the science, music and arts festival Starmus seeks to encourage people to make a difference.

The Starmus Jane Goodall Earth medal will be given in memory of the esteemed scientist and conservationist who died recently. It will recognise those who champion the natural world.

Award Details

The inaugural winners are expected to be announced at the upcoming Starmus event in Tenerife and La Palma, which will run from October 17th to 22nd the coming year.

According to statements that Goodall, who was a member of the festival's board, had backed the medal's establishment. “The idea of having this award, and the festival being tasked to oversee it, was Jane's wish,” a representative said. “She expressed that she wanted for this to occur. This is likely due to the unique connection she had with the festival.”

“This medal will acknowledge sustainable programmes undertaken to create a planet improved for all living beings and ecosystems and offer support for the continuation such efforts,” said a family member.

Format and Inspiration

A co-founder of the festival stated that the medal – which was announced at a scientific institution – would probably encompass various fields.

“It will be modeled after the Stephen Hawking medal honoring scientific outreach that we created a decade past,” it was explained. Goodall was a recipient of that very medal.

Sharing thoughts on the outlook of the planet, a prominent voice remarked, “Honestly, it's challenging to be optimistic. Present governance in one major nation represents a dismissal of evidence. This situation really cripples the world’s efforts.”

“In truth, the situation appears very good which means we need to commence reconsidering, much more seriously regarding the impact of human activity. And that’s not just climate change, that’s the whole way that we treat nature.”

Inspiring Change

As a result, observers believe it was an opportune moment to emulate her guiding principles. “I think that when we’re awarding this medal, we will be considering this core philosophy that Jane embodied – that was her foremost concern, to change how we regard the other animals around us.”

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

“We realised that truth has become a subject of discussion when politics are involved. And it’s an alarming trend,” it was said. “The climate science remains a scientific discipline; you cannot have any influence from politics in climate science.”

Optimism and Resolve

The hope is that this honor will spur action. “The purpose is encouraging people to get involved and to show concern and to work in that direction, really. Regardless of if we feel hopeful, we must focus on doing the best we can,” a statement concluded. “Accept the possibility of failure, but you still have to work toward success.”

A descendant involved in environmental protection shared hope that “with guidance and once enabled, people can be conscientious guardians of Earth”, pointing to the initiatives of a foundation that, in addition to its projects, empowers the youth become engaged locally, animals, and environment.

“As my late grandmother repeatedly emphasized, the choices we make each day are significant and the responsibility lies with us what type of impact we make,” he said. “We still have an opportunity and this medal will offer support and increase understanding regarding constructive efforts that people are making.”