A Jane Goodall Earth Medal Will Celebrate Those Working to Better the World.

Our planet is under strain, yet there is hope. A novel accolade from the interdisciplinary festival the Starmus festival aims to motivate individuals to take action.

This new Earth medal bearing Jane Goodall's name will honor in honour of the celebrated scientist and conservationist who passed away this year. It is designed to celebrate individuals and groups that advocate for the natural world.

Award Details

The inaugural winners are slated for announcement at the upcoming Starmus event in the Canary Islands, which will run from October 17th to 22nd the coming year.

According to statements that Goodall, who was a Starmus advisory board member, had supported the medal's establishment. “The concept of having this award, and Starmus being entrusted with organising it, is Jane’s,” a representative said. “She said that she wanted this to happen. And I think because of the close connection she shared with the festival.”

“This medal will acknowledge enduring projects carried out to create a planet improved for all living beings and ecosystems and provide encouragement to carry on that work,” commented a relative.

Format and Inspiration

A co-founder of the festival indicated that the medal – which was announced at a prestigious venue – would probably include several divisions.

“It will be very much similar to the Stephen Hawking medal for science communication established exactly 10 years ago,” he explained. Jane Goodall herself received of that award.

Sharing thoughts on the outlook for Earth, one figure remarked, “To be truthful, it is difficult to maintain optimism. Present governance in one major nation is conducting a war on science. So this undermines the world’s efforts.”

“Realistically, things don’t look particularly bright so we have to commence reflecting, much more seriously regarding the impact of human activity. This concern encompasses not just climate change, that’s the entire manner in which we interact with nature.”

Following an Example

Therefore, it was noted it was an opportune moment to honor Jane Goodall's legacy. “I think that when we’re awarding the prize, we will be considering this essential spirit that Jane embodied – which made her foremost concern, to transform the way we treat wildlife with which we share the planet.”

A pressing concern today was highlighted of false information. The central topic of next year’s festival will be “the pursuit of factual understanding”.

“We realised that truth is becoming a matter of debate where political interests is involved. This is an alarming trend,” he commented. “The science of climate is a science; you cannot have any influence from politics in climate science.”

Hope and Determination

The hope remains that this honor will inspire action. “The purpose is encouraging people to participate and to show concern and to work in that direction, really. Regardless of if we’re optimistic, we must look at working our utmost,” a statement concluded. “Be prepared for setbacks, yet we must continue striving towards succeeding.”

A descendant engaged in conservation work expressed confidence that “given direction and once enabled, humanity are capable of being diligent stewards of our planet”, highlighting the initiatives of an institute that, in addition to its projects, assists young people become engaged locally, animals, and the natural world.

“As my late grandmother repeatedly emphasized, the choices we make each day have an impact and the responsibility lies with us the kind of difference we make,” he said. “There is still time and the Starmus Jane Goodall Earth medal will give encouragement and increase understanding regarding constructive efforts currently in progress.”