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The world could be facing challenges, however a sense of hope remains. A fresh honor from the interdisciplinary festival Starmus will encourage individuals to act.

This new Earth medal bearing Jane Goodall's name is to be awarded in honour of the renowned scientist and conservationist who died this year. It will recognise individuals and groups that champion the natural world.

Honoring a Legacy

The inaugural winners are expected to be announced during the Starmus VIII festival in the Canary Islands, which will run from 17–22 October next year.

According to statements that Jane Goodall, a former Starmus advisory board member, had endorsed the medal's establishment. “The vision of having this medal, and the festival being tasked with organising it, is Jane’s,” a representative said. “She expressed that she wanted for this to occur. This is likely because of the unique bond she shared with the festival.”

“The Starmus Jane Goodall Earth medal will acknowledge enduring projects undertaken to create a planet improved for people, animals and the environment and provide encouragement to continue that work,” commented a relative.

Structure and Vision

A co-founder of Starmus noted that the medal – which was announced at a prestigious venue – would probably include several divisions.

“It’s going to be modeled after the Stephen Hawking medal honoring scientific outreach that we created a decade past,” he explained. Goodall herself received of that very medal.

Expressing concern about the future for Earth, one figure said, “Honestly, it's challenging to maintain optimism. The current political climate globally represents a war on science. So this significantly hampers collective action.”

“In truth, the situation appears particularly bright which means we need to begin to reconsidering, with greater urgency regarding the impact of our actions. And that’s not only global warming, that’s the entire manner in which we interact with our environment.”

A Call to Action

As a result, it was noted it was a good time to emulate Goodall’s example. “It is believed that when we’re awarding this medal, we will be considering this core philosophy that Jane embodied – which made her priority, to change our relationship with fellow creatures around us.”

A major topic currently was highlighted of misinformation. The central topic of the upcoming Starmus festival will be “the pursuit of factual understanding”.

“We realised that truth is becoming contested where political interests is involved. And it’s a very dangerous thing,” it was said. “The science of climate remains a scientific discipline; you cannot allow interference by political agendas in climate science.”

Optimism and Resolve

The goal remains that the medal can motivate action. “It’s about motivating others to participate and to show concern and to strive in that direction, truly. Regardless of if we’re optimistic, we have to focus on doing our utmost,” a statement concluded. “Accept the possibility of failure, yet we must continue striving towards succeeding.”

A family member involved in conservation work shared optimism that “given direction and when empowered, people are capable of being responsible caretakers of Earth”, citing the initiatives of a foundation which, in addition to its projects, assists the youth become engaged with their community, wildlife, and environment.

“As my late grandmother often told everyone, the choices we make each day have an impact and the responsibility lies with us the kind of difference we choose to create,” it was stated. “We still have an opportunity and this medal will give encouragement and increase understanding regarding beneficial initiatives that are being undertaken.”