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Earth is under pressure, but a sense of hope remains. A fresh honor from the interdisciplinary festival Starmus seeks to inspire individuals to take action.

The medal will honor in honour of the celebrated scientist and conservationist who died this year. It seeks to acknowledge individuals and groups that protect life on Earth.

Honoring a Legacy

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

It was shared that Goodall, who was a Starmus advisory board member, had supported the medal's establishment. “The idea of having this medal, and Starmus being entrusted with organising it, is Jane’s,” a statement said. “She said she would like for this to occur. And I think because of the close bond she had with us.”

“This medal will recognize sustainable programmes carried out to make our world improved for all living beings and ecosystems and offer support for the continuation that work,” said a family member.

Format and Inspiration

A co-founder of the festival indicated that the medal – unveiled at a scientific institution – will likely have multiple categories.

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

Expressing concern about the future for Earth, a prominent voice said, “Frankly, it is difficult to be optimistic. The current political climate in one major nation represents an assault on knowledge. This situation really cripples global initiatives.”

“In truth, the prospects aren't very good so we have to begin to reflecting, much more seriously about the consequences of our actions. And that’s not only global warming, but also the entire manner that we treat our environment.”

A Call to Action

Consequently, it was noted this is a good time to honor Jane Goodall's legacy. “I think that when we’re awarding this medal, the focus will be on this essential spirit of Jane’s – that was her foremost concern, to change our relationship with wildlife around us.”

A major topic currently was highlighted of false information. The focus of the upcoming festival will be “the pursuit of factual understanding”.

“We realised that factual reality has become a matter of debate when politics are involved. And it’s an alarming trend,” he commented. “The climate science is a science; it is impossible to have any influence by political agendas in this field.”

Optimism and Resolve

The aspiration is that the medal will inspire positive change. “The purpose is motivating others to engage and to show concern and to strive in that direction, really. Whether or not we’re optimistic, we have to focus on working our utmost,” it was added. “Accept the possibility of setbacks, yet we must have to work toward success.”

A family member involved in environmental protection shared confidence that “given direction and when empowered, people can be conscientious guardians of our planet”, citing the work of a foundation that, among its other activities, empowers the next generation get involved locally, wildlife, and the natural world.

“As my late grandmother repeatedly emphasized, our daily actions are significant and it is up to us the kind of difference we make,” it was stated. “We still have an opportunity and this medal will provide inspiration and increase understanding about beneficial initiatives currently in progress.”