The Jane Goodall Earth Medal to Honor Individuals Striving to Improve the Planet.

Earth might be under strain, yet a sense of hope remains. A new award from the science, music and arts festival the Starmus festival will motivate people to take action.

The Starmus Jane Goodall Earth medal will honor to pay tribute to the renowned British primatologist who died recently. It is designed to celebrate individuals and groups that advocate for life on Earth.

Honoring a Legacy

The inaugural winners will be revealed at the upcoming Starmus event in the Canary Islands, which will run from October 17th to 22nd next year.

It was shared that Goodall, who was a Starmus advisory board member, had supported the medal's establishment. “The idea behind this award, and the festival being tasked to oversee it, originated with Jane,” a statement said. “Her desire was that she wanted this to happen. This is likely due to the unique connection she shared with us.”

“This medal will recognize enduring projects undertaken to create a planet a better place for people, animals and the environment and offer support to carry on that work,” commented a relative.

Structure and Vision

One of the founders of the festival stated that the medal – unveiled at a scientific institution – would probably include several divisions.

“It will be very much similar to the Stephen Hawking award honoring scientific outreach established a decade past,” he explained. Goodall was a recipient of that very medal.

Sharing thoughts about the future of the planet, one figure stated, “Frankly, it's challenging to feel hopeful. The current political climate globally represents a dismissal of evidence. This situation really cripples global initiatives.”

“To be honest, the prospects aren't particularly bright therefore we must really start thinking again, with greater urgency about the consequences of our actions. And that’s not only global warming, but also the whole way in which we interact with the natural world.”

Inspiring Change

Therefore, observers believe it was an opportune moment to follow Jane Goodall's legacy. “I think that in bestowing the prize, we will be considering this core philosophy that Jane embodied – that was her priority, to change our relationship with wildlife with which we share the planet.”

Another key issue at present is the proliferation of misinformation. The focus of the upcoming Starmus festival will be “the pursuit of factual understanding”.

“We realised that factual reality has become a matter of debate where political interests are involved. And it’s a perilous development,” it was said. “Climate research is a science; you cannot allow interference by political agendas in this field.”

Hope and Determination

The aspiration remains that this honor can motivate action. “It’s about encouraging people to engage and to show concern and to strive in that direction, really. Whether or not we feel hopeful, we must look at working the best we can,” it was added. “Be prepared for failure, but you still have to work toward success.”

A descendant involved in environmental protection expressed confidence that “given direction and when empowered, humanity can be responsible caretakers of Earth”, citing the work of an institute which, in addition to its projects, assists the youth become engaged locally, wildlife, and the natural world.

“As Jane Goodall often told everyone, our daily actions have an impact and it is up to us what type of impact we choose to create,” he said. “We still have an opportunity and this medal will provide inspiration and raise awareness about the positive actions currently in progress.”