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

This new Earth medal bearing Jane Goodall's name will be given in honour of the renowned scientist and conservationist who passed away this year. It will recognise those who champion life on Earth.

Honoring a Legacy

The first recipients are slated for announcement at the Starmus VIII festival in Tenerife and La Palma, scheduled from 17–22 October the coming year.

Reports indicate that Jane Goodall, who was a Starmus advisory board member, had supported the medal's establishment. “The concept behind this award, and Starmus being entrusted to oversee it, is Jane’s,” a representative said. “She said that she wanted for this to occur. This is likely because of the unique connection she had with the festival.”

“The Starmus Jane Goodall Earth medal will recognize sustainable programmes carried out to create a planet a better place for people, animals and the environment and provide encouragement for the continuation such efforts,” said a family member.

Structure and Vision

One of the founders of Starmus noted that the medal – which was announced at a prestigious venue – will likely encompass various fields.

“The intent is for it to be inspired by the Stephen Hawking award for science communication that we created a decade past,” he explained. Jane Goodall herself received of that very medal.

Expressing concern on the outlook of the planet, one figure said, “To be truthful, it is difficult to feel hopeful. Present governance in one major nation represents an assault on knowledge. This situation really cripples collective action.”

“To be honest, the situation appears very good which means we need to begin to reconsidering, much more seriously regarding the impact of our actions. And that’s not only climate change, that’s the entire manner that we treat our environment.”

A Call to Action

As a result, observers believe it was a good time to honor Jane Goodall's legacy. “I think that in bestowing this medal, we will be considering this essential spirit that Jane embodied – which made her priority, to transform the way we treat the other animals with which we share the planet.”

Another key issue today was highlighted of false information. The focus of the upcoming festival is set as “the search for truth”.

“We realised that truth has become a subject of discussion where political interests is involved. And it’s an alarming trend,” he commented. “Climate research is a science; it is impossible to allow interference by political agendas in climate science.”

Hope and Determination

The hope is that the medal will spur positive change. “It’s about inspiring individuals to engage and to care and to strive toward these goals, really. Whether or not we feel hopeful, we must focus on doing the best we can,” it was added. “Accept the possibility of failure, but you still continue striving to achieve positive outcomes.”

A descendant involved in conservation work shared confidence that “with guidance and once enabled, humans are capable of being responsible caretakers of Earth”, citing the initiatives of an institute that, among its other activities, assists the youth become engaged locally, animals, and the natural world.

“As Jane Goodall constantly told everyone, our daily actions 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 provide inspiration and increase understanding regarding beneficial initiatives that people are making.”