🔗 Share this article The Starmus Earth Medal in Honor of Jane Goodall Will Honor Individuals Striving to Better the Planet. Earth could be facing challenges, yet optimism persists. A novel accolade originating at the interdisciplinary festival Starmus aims to inspire individuals to take action. A gathering related to the Starmus festival. The medal will be given to pay tribute to the celebrated scientist and conservationist who died this year. It seeks to acknowledge individuals and groups that protect the natural world. Honoring a Legacy Initial honorees are expected to be announced at the upcoming Starmus event in the Canary Islands, which will run from October 17th to 22nd the coming year. It was shared that Goodall, a former Starmus advisory board member, had endorsed the award’s creation. “The idea of having this award, and the festival being tasked with organising it, was Jane's wish,” a statement said. “She said she would like this to happen. This is likely due to the unique bond she had with us.” “This medal will recognize sustainable programmes carried out to build an environment a better place for all living beings and ecosystems and offer support to carry on such efforts,” said a family member. Structure and Vision A co-founder of the festival indicated that the medal – which was announced at a scientific institution – will likely encompass various fields. “It’s going to be very much similar to the Stephen Hawking award for science communication that we created a decade past,” it was explained. Goodall was an honoree of that very medal. Sharing thoughts on the outlook for Earth, a prominent voice said, “To be truthful, it’s very hard to be optimistic. The current political climate globally is conducting a dismissal of evidence. This situation really cripples the world’s efforts.” “To be honest, the situation appears very good so we have to begin to thinking again, much more seriously about the consequences of our actions. This concern encompasses not only global warming, that’s the whole way that we treat the natural world.” A Call to Action Consequently, it was noted it was a good time to follow Goodall’s example. “I think that when we’re awarding this medal, the focus will be on this essential spirit that Jane embodied – that was her foremost concern, to change the way we treat the other animals with which we share the planet.” Another key issue currently is the proliferation of misinformation. The central topic of next year’s festival is set as “the search for truth”. “We realised that factual reality has become a subject of discussion where political interests are involved. And it’s a very dangerous thing,” he commented. “The climate science is a science; you cannot allow interference by political agendas in this field.” Hope and Determination The hope remains that this honor will spur action. “The purpose is inspiring individuals to get involved and to show concern and to work in that direction, truly. Whether or not we feel hopeful, we must look at doing all that is possible,” it was added. “Accept the possibility of failure, but you still continue striving to achieve positive outcomes.” A descendant engaged in conservation work expressed confidence that “given direction and once enabled, people are capable of being diligent stewards of our planet”, citing the initiatives of a foundation that, among its other activities, assists the youth become engaged with their community, animals, and the natural world. “As Jane Goodall often reminded us, our daily actions have an impact and it is up to us the kind of difference we choose to create,” he said. “We still have an opportunity and this medal will provide inspiration and raise awareness about beneficial initiatives that are being undertaken.”