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Our planet could be under pressure, yet optimism persists. A fresh honor from the science, music and arts festival the Starmus festival will encourage the public to take action.

The medal is to be awarded to pay tribute to the celebrated scientist and conservationist who died this year. It is designed to celebrate those who champion our planet's biodiversity.

The Medal's Framework

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

It was shared that Jane Goodall, who was a Starmus advisory board member, had endorsed the medal's establishment. “The vision behind this medal, and Starmus being entrusted with organising it, is Jane’s,” a representative said. “She said she would like for this to occur. This is likely because of the very special connection she shared with the festival.”

“This medal aims to highlight ongoing initiatives undertaken to build an environment a better place for people, animals and the environment and foster motivation to continue that work,” said a family member.

Structure and Vision

One of the founders of the festival indicated that the medal – which was announced at a scientific institution – will likely encompass various fields.

“It will be modeled after the Stephen Hawking medal for science communication that we created exactly 10 years ago,” he explained. Jane Goodall herself received of that award.

Expressing concern on the outlook for Earth, one figure said, “Honestly, it's challenging to maintain optimism. Certain policies globally is conducting an assault on knowledge. So this significantly hampers global initiatives.”

“In truth, things don’t look very good therefore we must commence reconsidering, more deeply about the consequences of human activity. This concern encompasses not just climate change, that’s the whole way in which we interact with our environment.”

Inspiring Change

As a result, it was noted this is a good time to honor Goodall’s example. “I think that when we’re awarding the prize, we will be considering this core philosophy of Jane’s – which made her foremost concern, to transform the way we treat wildlife with which we share the planet.”

A pressing concern currently is the proliferation of misinformation. The theme of the upcoming festival is set as “the pursuit of factual understanding”.

“There is a recognition that factual reality has become a matter of debate when politics are involved. This is a perilous development,” it was said. “The climate science is a science; it is impossible to allow interference from politics in this field.”

Hope and Determination

The aspiration remains that the medal can motivate concrete steps. “It’s about inspiring individuals to get involved and to show concern and to strive toward these goals, really. Regardless of if we feel hopeful, we have to focus on working our utmost,” a statement concluded. “Accept the possibility of failure, but you still continue striving towards succeeding.”

A descendant involved in conservation work shared hope that “given direction and when empowered, humanity are capable of being responsible caretakers of Earth”, pointing to the initiatives of a foundation which, among its other activities, empowers young people get involved with their community, wildlife, and environment.

“As Jane Goodall constantly emphasized, our daily actions have an impact and it is up to us the kind of difference we make,” it was stated. “There is still time and the Starmus Jane Goodall Earth medal will offer support and raise awareness regarding beneficial initiatives that are being undertaken.”