🔗 Share this article

Our planet could be under strain, but optimism persists. A fresh honor from the science, music and arts festival the Starmus festival will encourage people to make a difference.

The Starmus Jane Goodall Earth medal will honor to pay tribute to the celebrated British primatologist who passed away this year. It seeks to acknowledge individuals and groups that advocate for our planet's biodiversity.

The Medal's Framework

Initial honorees are slated for announcement during the Starmus VIII festival in Tenerife and La Palma, which will run from October 17th to 22nd next year.

According to statements that Goodall, a former member of the festival's board, had backed the award’s creation. “The vision behind this award, and Starmus being entrusted with organising it, is Jane’s,” a statement said. “Her desire was that she wanted for this to occur. This is likely due to the close relationship she had with the festival.”

“This medal aims to highlight ongoing initiatives carried out to make our world a better place for people, animals and the environment and foster motivation to continue such efforts,” commented a relative.

Format and Inspiration

One of the founders of Starmus indicated that the medal – which was announced at a prestigious venue – would probably have multiple categories.

“The intent is for it to be very much similar to the Stephen Hawking medal for science communication that we created a decade past,” it was explained. Jane Goodall was a recipient of that award.

Sharing thoughts on the outlook for Earth, a prominent voice remarked, “Frankly, it’s very hard to maintain optimism. The current political climate globally represents an assault on knowledge. This situation undermines collective action.”

“Realistically, the situation appears particularly bright so we have to begin to reconsidering, much more seriously regarding the impact of our actions. This concern encompasses not just global warming, that’s the entire manner in which we interact with our environment.”

A Call to Action

Consequently, it was noted it was a good time to honor Goodall’s example. “I think that when we’re awarding the prize, we will be considering this core philosophy of Jane’s – that was her foremost concern, to transform how we regard the other animals around us.”

Another key issue today was highlighted of false information. The focus of next year’s Starmus festival is set as “the pursuit of factual understanding”.

“We realised that truth is becoming a matter of debate when politics is involved. This is a perilous development,” it was said. “Climate research is a science; you cannot have any influence by political agendas in this field.”

Hope and Determination

The aspiration is that the medal will inspire action. “It focuses on motivating others to engage and to care and to strive in that direction, really. Whether or not we feel hopeful, we must look at working our utmost,” it was added. “Be prepared for failure, yet we must continue striving to achieve positive outcomes.”

A family member involved in environmental protection shared confidence that “given direction and once enabled, humans are capable of being diligent stewards of Earth”, pointing to the programs of an institute that, among its other activities, empowers the next generation get involved locally, wildlife, and the natural world.

“As Jane Goodall often reminded us, the choices we make each day have an impact and it is up to us the kind of difference we make,” it was stated. “We still have an opportunity and the Starmus Jane Goodall Earth medal will offer support and increase understanding about the positive actions currently in progress.”