A Jane Goodall Earth Medal to Honor Those Working to Better the Planet.

Our planet is under pressure, however a sense of hope remains. A novel accolade from the science, music and arts festival Starmus seeks to inspire individuals to act.

This new Earth medal bearing Jane Goodall's name will be given in honour of the esteemed British primatologist who passed away recently. It is designed to celebrate those who champion our planet's biodiversity.

Honoring a Legacy

The inaugural winners are expected to be announced during the upcoming Starmus event in Tenerife and La Palma, scheduled from October 17th to 22nd the coming year.

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

“This medal will acknowledge sustainable programmes undertaken to create a planet improved for all living beings and ecosystems and offer support for the continuation that work,” said a family member.

Format and Inspiration

One of the founders of Starmus indicated that the medal – which was announced at a prestigious venue – would probably include several divisions.

“The intent is for it to be modeled after the Stephen Hawking medal honoring scientific outreach that we created exactly 10 years ago,” he explained. Jane Goodall herself received of that award.

Expressing concern on the outlook of the planet, a prominent voice remarked, “Honestly, it's challenging to be optimistic. Present governance globally represents a war on science. So this really cripples global initiatives.”

“Realistically, things don’t look particularly bright so we have to begin to thinking again, with greater urgency about the consequences of our actions. This concern encompasses not only climate change, but also the whole way in which we interact with our environment.”

Inspiring Change

Consequently, it was noted it was a good time to emulate Jane Goodall's legacy. “I think that when we’re awarding the prize, we will be considering this essential spirit that Jane embodied – that was her foremost concern, to transform the way we treat fellow creatures around us.”

A major topic currently is the proliferation of misinformation. The central topic of next year’s festival will be “the search for truth”.

“It has become apparent that factual reality has become contested where political interests are involved. And it’s a perilous development,” he commented. “The climate science is a science; it is impossible to have any influence by political agendas in climate science.”

Optimism and Resolve

The hope remains that the medal can motivate positive change. “It focuses on inspiring individuals to get involved and to care and to strive in that direction, truly. Regardless of if we feel hopeful, we have to look at working the best we can,” it was added. “Be prepared for setbacks, but you still have to work to achieve positive outcomes.”

A family member engaged in conservation work shared optimism that “given direction and once enabled, people are capable of being responsible caretakers of our planet”, pointing to the initiatives of an institute which, among its other activities, helps young people become engaged locally, wildlife, and the natural world.

“As Jane Goodall repeatedly emphasized, the choices we make each day have an impact and the responsibility lies with us what type of impact we make,” he said. “There is still time and this medal will provide inspiration and raise awareness regarding the positive actions that people are making.”