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The world could be facing challenges, yet a sense of hope remains. A fresh honor originating at the interdisciplinary festival the Starmus festival seeks to motivate the public to act.

The Starmus Jane Goodall Earth medal will honor in memory of the esteemed scientist and conservationist who passed away recently. It seeks to acknowledge individuals and groups that advocate for the natural world.

The Medal's Framework

The inaugural winners are slated for announcement at the Starmus VIII festival in Tenerife and La Palma, scheduled from October 17th to 22nd the coming year.

It was shared that Jane Goodall, who was a member of the festival's board, had backed the medal's establishment. “The concept of having this medal, and Starmus being entrusted with organising it, is Jane’s,” a statement said. “She expressed she would like for this to occur. And I think due to the very special relationship she shared with the festival.”

“This medal will acknowledge sustainable programmes carried out to make our world improved for people, animals and the environment and foster motivation to carry on such efforts,” commented a relative.

Structure and Vision

A co-founder of the festival stated that the medal – which was announced at a prestigious venue – would probably have multiple categories.

“The intent is for it to be inspired by the Stephen Hawking medal for science communication that we created exactly 10 years ago,” he explained. Goodall was an honoree of that award.

Expressing concern about the future for Earth, one figure remarked, “Honestly, it’s very hard to be optimistic. The current political climate globally represents a dismissal of evidence. So this significantly hampers collective action.”

“To be honest, the prospects aren't particularly bright which means we need to begin to reconsidering, more deeply about the consequences of human activity. And that’s not just climate change, but also the whole way that we treat our environment.”

Following an Example

As a result, observers believe it was an opportune moment to follow her guiding principles. “It is believed that when we’re awarding the prize, we will be considering this essential spirit that Jane embodied – that was her priority, to change our relationship with wildlife with which we share the planet.”

Another key issue currently was highlighted of disinformation. The focus of next year’s festival will be “the search for truth”.

“We realised that factual reality is becoming a matter of debate where political interests are involved. This is a perilous development,” it was said. “The science of climate is a science; you cannot have any influence from politics in this field.”

Hope and Determination

The goal is that the medal will spur action. “It focuses on inspiring individuals to get involved and to care and to strive toward these goals, really. Whether or not we’re optimistic, we must focus on doing our utmost,” it was added. “Accept the possibility of setbacks, yet we must continue striving towards succeeding.”

A family member involved in conservation work expressed hope that “given direction and when empowered, humans are capable of being diligent stewards of our planet”, citing the programs of an institute that, in addition to its projects, empowers the youth become engaged with their community, wildlife, and environment.

“As Jane Goodall repeatedly reminded us, our daily actions make a difference and the responsibility lies with us the kind of difference we choose to create,” it was stated. “It is not too late and the Starmus Jane Goodall Earth medal will offer support and raise awareness regarding the positive actions that are being undertaken.”