🔗 Share this article

The world might be facing challenges, however there is hope. A novel accolade from the interdisciplinary festival the Starmus festival aims to encourage people to make a difference.

The Starmus Jane Goodall Earth medal will honor in memory of the renowned British primatologist who died this year. It seeks to acknowledge individuals and groups that advocate for the natural world.

Honoring a Legacy

The first recipients are slated for announcement at the upcoming Starmus event in the Canary Islands, scheduled from 17–22 October the coming year.

It was shared that Goodall, a former Starmus advisory board member, had supported the award’s creation. “The idea behind this award, and the festival being tasked to oversee it, originated with Jane,” a representative said. “She said that she wanted this to happen. This is likely due to the unique bond she had with us.”

“The Starmus Jane Goodall Earth medal will recognize ongoing initiatives carried out to build an environment improved for all living beings and ecosystems and foster motivation to continue such efforts,” said a family member.

Format and Inspiration

One of the founders of the festival stated that the medal – which was announced at a prestigious venue – will likely include several divisions.

“It’s going to be modeled after the Stephen Hawking award honoring scientific outreach that we created a decade past,” he explained. Jane Goodall was an honoree of that very medal.

Sharing thoughts on the outlook for Earth, one figure remarked, “Frankly, it is difficult to feel hopeful. Present governance globally represents an assault on knowledge. So this undermines collective action.”

“To be honest, the situation appears very good so we have to begin to reflecting, with greater urgency regarding the impact of human activity. And that’s not only global warming, but also the whole way that we treat the natural world.”

A Call to Action

As a result, it was noted it was an opportune moment to honor Jane Goodall's legacy. “I think that in bestowing the prize, the focus will be on this core philosophy of Jane’s – which made her priority, to transform the way we treat wildlife around us.”

A major topic today involves the spread of false information. The central topic of next year’s festival will be “the search for truth”.

“It has become apparent that factual reality has become contested when politics are involved. This is a very dangerous thing,” he commented. “The climate science remains a scientific discipline; you cannot allow interference from politics in this field.”

Optimism and Resolve

The aspiration remains that this honor will spur positive change. “It focuses on inspiring individuals to get involved and to care and to work in that direction, truly. Regardless of if we’re optimistic, we have to focus on doing our utmost,” a statement concluded. “Be prepared for failure, but you still have to work to achieve positive outcomes.”

A family member engaged in environmental protection expressed confidence that “with guidance and once enabled, people are capable of being responsible caretakers of Earth”, pointing to the work of an institute that, among its other activities, helps young people become engaged locally, animals, and the natural world.

“As Jane Goodall constantly emphasized, the choices we make each day are significant 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 increase understanding about beneficial initiatives that are being undertaken.”