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Earth might be facing challenges, yet a sense of hope remains. A fresh honor from the science, music and arts festival the Starmus festival seeks to encourage people to make a difference.

The Starmus Jane Goodall Earth medal will honor in memory of the celebrated scientist and conservationist who passed away recently. It will recognise individuals and groups that advocate for life on Earth.

Honoring a Legacy

The first recipients will be revealed at the upcoming Starmus event in the Canary Islands, which will run from 17–22 October next year.

It was shared that Jane Goodall, who was a Starmus advisory board member, had supported the medal's establishment. “The concept of having this medal, and Starmus being entrusted with organising it, is Jane’s,” a statement said. “She expressed that she wanted for this to occur. This is likely because of the very special relationship she shared with the festival.”

“This medal aims to highlight sustainable programmes carried out to create a planet a better place for people, animals and the environment and offer support to carry on such efforts,” said a family member.

Format and Inspiration

One of the founders of Starmus noted that the medal – unveiled at a prestigious venue – will likely include several divisions.

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

Expressing concern on the outlook of the planet, one figure said, “Honestly, it's challenging to feel hopeful. Certain policies globally is conducting a war on science. This situation significantly hampers global initiatives.”

“In truth, the prospects aren't particularly bright therefore we must begin to reconsidering, with greater urgency about the consequences of our actions. This concern encompasses not only climate change, that’s the whole way that we treat nature.”

Following an Example

Consequently, it was noted it was an opportune moment to emulate her guiding principles. “I think that when we’re awarding this medal, we will be considering this essential spirit that Jane embodied – that was her foremost concern, to change how we regard wildlife with which we share the planet.”

Another key issue currently involves the spread of false information. The central topic of the upcoming festival will be “the pursuit of factual understanding”.

“We realised that truth is becoming a matter of debate 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 from politics in this field.”

Hope and Determination

The goal remains that the medal will inspire positive change. “It’s about motivating others to engage and to show concern and to strive toward these goals, truly. Whether or not we feel hopeful, we must focus on doing all that is possible,” a statement concluded. “Accept the possibility of setbacks, but you still continue striving towards succeeding.”

A family member engaged in environmental protection shared optimism that “given direction and once enabled, humans can be diligent stewards of Earth”, pointing to the work of an institute which, in addition to its projects, helps young people become engaged with their community, animals, and environment.

“As my late grandmother repeatedly emphasized, our daily actions make a difference and it is up to us what type of impact we choose to create,” he said. “It is not too late and the Starmus Jane Goodall Earth medal will give encouragement and increase understanding about beneficial initiatives that are being undertaken.”