The Starmus Earth Medal in Honor of Jane Goodall Will Recognise Individuals Striving to Improve the World.

Earth might be facing challenges, but a sense of hope remains. A new award from the interdisciplinary festival Starmus will encourage people to act.

This new Earth medal bearing Jane Goodall's name will honor to pay tribute to the celebrated scientist and conservationist who passed away this year. It will recognise those who advocate for the natural world.

Award Details

Initial honorees are expected to be announced at the upcoming Starmus event in the Canary Islands, scheduled from October 17th to 22nd the coming year.

According to statements that Jane Goodall, who was a member of the festival's board, had endorsed the award’s creation. “The concept of having this medal, and Starmus being entrusted to oversee it, is Jane’s,” a statement said. “She expressed she would like this to happen. And I think because of the unique connection she had with the festival.”

“This medal will recognize ongoing initiatives undertaken to make our world improved for people, animals and the environment and offer support for the continuation that work,” said a family member.

Format and Inspiration

One of the founders of Starmus noted that the medal – unveiled at a scientific institution – would probably have multiple categories.

“It will be modeled after the Stephen Hawking medal for science communication established a decade past,” it was explained. Goodall herself received of that award.

Expressing concern on the outlook of the planet, one figure said, “Honestly, it is difficult to feel hopeful. Certain policies in one major nation represents an assault on knowledge. So this significantly hampers global initiatives.”

“Realistically, things don’t look very good therefore we must commence reconsidering, much more seriously regarding the impact of human activity. And that’s not only global warming, but also the whole way that we treat nature.”

Inspiring Change

As a result, it was noted it was an opportune moment to follow Goodall’s example. “It is believed that when we’re awarding the prize, we will be considering this core philosophy of Jane’s – that was her priority, to transform our relationship with wildlife around us.”

A major topic today involves the spread of false information. The theme of the upcoming Starmus festival is set as “the pursuit of factual understanding”.

“It has become apparent that factual reality has become contested where political interests is involved. This is a very dangerous thing,” he commented. “The science of climate is a science; you cannot have any influence by political agendas in climate science.”

Optimism and Resolve

The goal remains that this honor can motivate concrete steps. “The purpose is inspiring individuals to get involved and to care and to work toward these goals, really. Whether or not we feel hopeful, we must focus on doing all that is possible,” it was added. “Be prepared for failure, but you still continue striving towards succeeding.”

A descendant involved in conservation work shared confidence that “given direction and once enabled, people are capable of being conscientious guardians of our planet”, citing the work of an institute that, among its other activities, assists the next generation get involved locally, wildlife, and environment.

“As my late grandmother constantly emphasized, our daily actions are significant and the responsibility lies with us what type of impact we choose to create,” he said. “It is not too late and the Starmus Jane Goodall Earth medal will provide inspiration and raise awareness about beneficial initiatives that are being undertaken.”