The Starmus Earth Medal in Honor of Jane Goodall to Celebrate Individuals Working to Better the World.

Earth is under pressure, but optimism persists. A new award from the interdisciplinary festival the Starmus festival will inspire the public to act.

The Starmus Jane Goodall Earth medal will be given to pay tribute to the esteemed scientist and conservationist who died this year. It seeks to acknowledge those who advocate for life on Earth.

Award Details

The inaugural winners are slated for announcement during the upcoming Starmus event in Tenerife and La Palma, which will run from 17–22 October the coming year.

Reports indicate that Goodall, a former member of the festival's board, had backed the medal's establishment. “The vision of having this medal, and Starmus being entrusted with organising it, is Jane’s,” a statement said. “She said that she wanted this to happen. And I think because of the close connection she shared with the festival.”

“This medal aims to highlight sustainable programmes carried out to make our world improved for all living beings and ecosystems and provide encouragement for the continuation such efforts,” said a family member.

Structure and Vision

A co-founder of Starmus stated that the medal – unveiled at a scientific institution – will likely have multiple categories.

“It’s going to be modeled after the Stephen Hawking medal for science communication that we created exactly 10 years ago,” it was explained. Jane Goodall was an honoree of that award.

Expressing concern on the outlook of the planet, one figure said, “To be truthful, it’s very hard to maintain optimism. Present governance globally represents a war on science. So this really cripples global initiatives.”

“Realistically, things don’t look particularly bright which means we need to commence reconsidering, with greater urgency regarding the impact of our actions. This concern encompasses not just global warming, but also the entire manner in which we interact with our environment.”

Following an Example

Therefore, observers believe this is an opportune moment to follow her guiding principles. “I think that in bestowing the prize, the focus will be on this essential spirit of Jane’s – that was her priority, to transform our relationship with wildlife around us.”

Another key issue currently is the proliferation of false information. The focus of next year’s Starmus festival is set as “the search for truth”.

“We realised that truth is becoming a subject of discussion when politics are involved. This is a perilous development,” he commented. “The climate science remains a scientific discipline; you cannot have any influence from politics in this field.”

Hope and Determination

The aspiration remains that the medal can motivate concrete steps. “The purpose is motivating others to engage and to care and to work toward these goals, really. Regardless of if we’re optimistic, we have to focus on working our utmost,” a statement concluded. “Be prepared for setbacks, yet we must continue striving toward success.”

A family member involved in environmental protection shared optimism that “given direction and when empowered, people can be conscientious guardians of Earth”, highlighting the programs of an institute which, in addition to its projects, helps the youth become engaged with their community, animals, and the natural world.

“As Jane Goodall often reminded us, the choices we make each day are significant and it is up to us what type of impact we choose to create,” he said. “We still have an opportunity and the Starmus Jane Goodall Earth medal will offer support and raise awareness about beneficial initiatives that people are making.”