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Our planet is under strain, yet there is hope. A fresh honor from the science, music and arts festival Starmus seeks to encourage individuals to take action.

The Starmus Jane Goodall Earth medal will be given in honour of the esteemed British primatologist who passed away this year. It is designed to celebrate those who protect life on Earth.

Honoring a Legacy

Initial honorees will be revealed during the upcoming Starmus event in the Canary Islands, scheduled from October 17th to 22nd next year.

According to statements that Jane Goodall, who was a member of the festival's board, had supported the medal's establishment. “The idea behind this medal, and Starmus being entrusted to oversee it, was Jane's wish,” a statement said. “She said that she wanted this to happen. And I think due to the very special bond she had with the festival.”

“This medal aims to highlight sustainable programmes undertaken to make our world a better place for people, animals and the environment and foster motivation for the continuation such efforts,” said a family member.

Format and Inspiration

A co-founder of the festival noted that the medal – unveiled at a scientific institution – will likely encompass various fields.

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

Expressing concern on the outlook for Earth, one figure stated, “To be truthful, it's challenging to maintain optimism. Certain policies globally is conducting an assault on knowledge. This situation undermines global initiatives.”

“To be honest, things don’t look very good so we have to really start thinking again, with greater urgency about the consequences of our actions. And that’s not only climate change, that’s the whole way that we treat our environment.”

A Call to Action

As a result, it was noted it was an opportune moment to emulate Jane Goodall's legacy. “I think that in bestowing the prize, the focus will be on this core philosophy of Jane’s – that was her foremost concern, to change the way we treat wildlife with which we share the planet.”

A major topic today involves the spread of disinformation. The focus of the upcoming Starmus festival is set as “the pursuit of factual understanding”.

“There is a recognition that truth has become a subject of discussion when politics is involved. And it’s an alarming trend,” it was said. “Climate research remains a scientific discipline; you cannot have any influence from politics in climate science.”

Hope and Determination

The aspiration is that this honor will spur action. “The purpose is inspiring individuals to participate and to show concern and to work toward these goals, really. Whether or not we’re optimistic, we have to look at working our utmost,” a statement concluded. “Accept the possibility of setbacks, but you still have to work towards succeeding.”

A descendant involved in conservation work expressed confidence that “given direction and once enabled, people are capable of being responsible caretakers of Earth”, pointing to the programs of an institute which, in addition to its projects, assists the youth become engaged locally, animals, and environment.

“As my late grandmother constantly emphasized, our daily actions are significant and it is up to us what type of impact we choose to create,” it was stated. “We still have an opportunity and this medal will provide inspiration and raise awareness regarding beneficial initiatives currently in progress.”