Nurturing the Gen Zs towards Planetary Regeneration

In the past two months, when the entire western world went into a vacation mode, I was fortunate to engage in two different educational programs at Monash University, where I teach. In December, I accompanied around 90 students in their two week study tour, known as Global Immersion Guarantee (GIG) to New Delhi, where the focus of the study was environmental problems like water pollution, air pollution and mass urbanization. In January, I was invited to conduct a masterclass on intersectional design for the Monash Innovation Guarantee (MIG) program where I addressed around 400 students who were solving various challenges given to them by industry partners by considering the unintended impacts and being inclusive.
As one of the judges for both these programs, I watched these bright minds wrestle with complex challenges and come up with creative solutions. It was heartening to watch their enthusiasm and passion towards these issues – which was created even before they were born!
When I stepped forward to offer feedback, my message was clear and passionate: innovation isn’t just about creating something new—it’s about understanding the intricate web of impacts your idea will create. I shared stories of technologies that seemed brilliant on the surface but failed because they didn’t consider all stakeholders. The students leaned in, their eyes reflecting a growing understanding that true innovation requires empathy, systems thinking, and a deep commitment to intersectional design.
A personal happiness for me was that my daughter Mythili was one among them, working with her team on an innovative approach to reducing textile waste. Here was a young mind confronting the enormous burden our generation has placed on hers—the legacy of mindless capitalism and unchecked consumption. The fashion industry alone produces 10% of global carbon emissions and is the second-largest consumer of water worldwide. By focusing on behavioral change, these young innovators were doing more than developing a project; they were reimagining our relationship with resources.

As I looked at these young faces, I felt both hope and responsibility. This generation will inherit our planetary challenges, and they need to be equipped not just with technical skills, but with a holistic understanding of sustainability.
My mind wandered to the remarkable environmental technologies emerging in 2025, technologies that embody exactly the principles I was teaching that evening. Take perovskite solar cells, for instance. Companies like Oxford PV have developed solar technologies with efficiency rates exceeding 30%, dramatically reducing production costs and creating panels so flexible they could be integrated into building materials, vehicles, even personal electronics.
Green hydrogen offers another exciting frontier. Unlike traditional fossil fuel energy carriers, green hydrogen is produced using renewable electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. Companies like Sunfire are making this technology economically viable, presenting a potential solution for decarbonizing heavy industries like steel production and long-distance transportation.
Waste reduction technologies are equally transformative. Carbios, a French startup, has developed enzymatic recycling that can break down PET plastic into its original chemical components with over 90% efficiency. Imagine a world where every plastic bottle can be perfectly recycled, not just downgraded—this is no longer a distant dream but an emerging reality.
LanzaTech represents another breakthrough in biomimetic waste processing. Their ingenious approach involves using engineered microbes to convert industrial waste gases into sustainable fuels and materials. What was once considered pollution is now being transformed into a valuable resource—a perfect example of the circular economy principles I emphasize to young innovators.
Carbon capture technologies are also evolving rapidly. Companies like Carbon Clean are developing modular solutions that can be implemented across various industrial settings, with the potential to remove a gigaton of CO2 annually by 2030. These aren’t just technological solutions; they’re a reimagining of our relationship with the environment.
The investment landscape reflects growing confidence in these technologies. Helion Energy has raised $500 million for fusion energy development. LanzaTech has secured over $300 million in investments. These aren’t just startup numbers—they represent a significant economic vote of confidence in sustainable technologies.
But technology alone isn’t the answer. The most exciting developments are happening through interdisciplinary collaboration—where engineering meets environmental science, economics intersects with social innovation, and policy development creates enabling environments for transformative change.
As I reflect on both the GIG and MIG programs at Monash, teaching those bright young minds about holistic innovation, I’m filled with cautious optimism. Each project, each pitch, each innovative concept represents a direct challenge to the destructive mindsets of previous generations. They are not waiting for solutions—they are creating them. They symbolize our collective capacity to reimagine our relationship with the planet—to move from extraction to regeneration.
In a polarised world where some of the most powerful people on the planet believe that climate change is not real, these young minds become our most critical hope. They understand that sustainability is not an academic exercise, but a lived necessity. Their innovations go beyond technological fixes; they represent a complete paradigm shift in how we think about resources, consumption, and our collective future.

From textile waste reduction to advanced carbon capture technologies, these young innovators are doing more than developing solutions. They are rewriting the narrative of environmental engagement. They see interconnectedness where previous generations saw isolated problems. They recognize that every innovation must consider its impact across social, economic, and ecological systems.
The next generation gives me hope. They understand that sustainability isn’t a luxury or a choice—it’s our collective responsibility. By training them to think critically, to design with empathy, and to see the interconnected nature of our global ecosystem, we’re not just developing technologies. We’re cultivating a mindset of regeneration..
They are architects of a regenerative future, building solutions that don’t just mitigate damage, but actively heal our planetary ecosystems.
Our role is not to rescue them from the challenges we’ve created, but to provide them with the tools, knowledge, and support to lead the transformation. Each innovation, each critical thinking skill, each moment of collaborative problem-solving is a step towards a more sustainable, just, and hopeful future.
What possibilities do you see in their innovative spirit? How might their approach transform our understanding of sustainability?
#CleanTech #Innovation #Sustainability #FutureOfSustainability #regenerativeentrepreneurship
Universal love and abundance,

Dr. CeeVee
(Dr. CeeVee is the pen name of Dr. Chandra Vadhana R, Founder of Prayaana Labs and Managing Editor, of SheSight Magazine)