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The world could be under strain, but optimism persists. A fresh honor from the science, music and arts festival the Starmus festival aims to encourage people to act.

The Starmus Jane Goodall Earth medal will be given in honour of the esteemed British primatologist who died this year. It is designed to celebrate individuals and groups that advocate for life on Earth.

Award Details

The inaugural winners will be revealed at the Starmus VIII festival in Tenerife and La Palma, scheduled from October 17th to 22nd next year.

It was shared that Goodall, who was a Starmus advisory board member, had supported the award’s creation. “The concept of having this medal, and Starmus being entrusted to oversee it, originated with Jane,” a statement said. “Her desire was she would like this to happen. And I think due to the very special connection she shared with us.”

“The Starmus Jane Goodall Earth 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.

Format and Inspiration

A co-founder of the festival stated that the medal – unveiled at a scientific institution – will likely include several divisions.

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

Expressing concern about the future for Earth, a prominent voice stated, “Frankly, it's challenging to maintain optimism. Certain policies globally represents a war on science. So this undermines global initiatives.”

“To be honest, the situation appears very good which means we need to commence reflecting, more deeply about the consequences of human activity. This concern encompasses not just climate change, but also the whole way that we treat nature.”

A Call to Action

Therefore, it was noted this is a good time to honor Jane Goodall's legacy. “It is believed that in bestowing this medal, we will be considering this core philosophy that Jane embodied – which made her foremost concern, to transform how we regard fellow creatures around us.”

Another key issue currently was highlighted of false information. The theme of the upcoming festival is set as “the search for truth”.

“We realised that factual reality has become a matter of debate where political interests are involved. And it’s a perilous development,” he commented. “The climate science remains a scientific discipline; you cannot have any influence from politics in this field.”

Hope and Determination

The aspiration is that this honor can motivate action. “It’s about inspiring individuals to get involved and to show concern and to work toward these goals, truly. Whether or not we feel hopeful, we must look at working our utmost,” a statement concluded. “Be prepared for setbacks, but you still have to work towards succeeding.”

A descendant engaged in conservation work shared optimism that “with guidance and once enabled, people can be responsible caretakers of Earth”, pointing to the programs of an institute which, among its other activities, assists the youth become engaged locally, animals, and the natural world.

“As my late grandmother constantly reminded us, 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 this medal will provide inspiration and raise awareness regarding beneficial initiatives that are being undertaken.”