Finding Happiness Healing the Planet
What if the key to our happiness isn’t having more but instead it’s restoring what’s been taken?
We live in a world that we were told would make us happy. A world of convenience, choice and endless growth. But somewhere along the way, something felt off. Finally we started to feel the cost.
And it wasn’t just in the warming of the planet or the extinction of species. It was in our bodies, our minds, our communities.
· Burnout is rampant.
· Loneliness is epidemic.
· Meaning feels scarce.
But despite what capitalism wants us to believe, this isn’t a personal failure. It’s the natural outcome of an economic system that extracts from people, from us, as much as it extracts from the planet.
We’ve been sold a version of success that depends on depletion of soils, of watersheds, of labor and even of our spirit. This is a version of happiness that’s rooted not in connection or care, but in consumption and comparison. And for all its promises, it’s left us sick, stressed and searching for something more.
But.. what if there’s another way?
The Joy of a Regenerative Life
A regenerative lifestyle doesn’t ask us to opt out of life. It invites us back into it.
It offers a way of living where what nourishes the planet also nourishes us. Where healing the damage of industrial systems, of broken relationships, of ignored responsibilities becomes a path not of punishment, but of possibility.
Imagine:
You start your day with coffee from a company like Heirloom Coffee Roasters, where sourcing regenerative organic beans also supports smallholder agroforestry instead of exploitative commodity chains.
You wear a garment from Woolly, made of natural fibers, built to last and not to be replaced each season.
You end your day sharing regenerative food with friends, sourced from local producers or through a connector like Raw Food & Goods, rebuilding trust in what we eat and introducing us to who we buy from.
You drink a ‘beer for good’ from Pure Project, where every pint is tied to things like reforestation and watershed restoration.
These are today’s glimpses. Small examples of what can be. But they are also signals of a shift already underway.
A regenerative life is filled with:
Food grown with the intent to nourish land, people, and culture
Work that restores rather than extracts, that’s aligned with place, purpose and planetary needs
Communities designed around reciprocity, not just productivity
Time spent in rhythm with seasons, not just quarterly targets
It’s not a fantasy. It’s remembering what life feels like when we’re not being depleted to serve a machine.
Capitalism Extracted Our Time. Regeneration Returns It.
Regenerative living isn’t about going backward or escaping modernity. It’s about reclaiming the parts of life capitalism told us were optional: slowness, belonging, purpose, care.
Extractive systems stole:
Our time. It was turned into labor, and told us to always be “on”
Our bodies. They were commodified, optimized, overworked
Our sense of enough. Sadly replaced with the illusion of wanting more
Our relationships. With nature, with each other, even with ourselves
A regenerative future takes these back. And that’s not by accident, but by design.
Regenerative Innovation Is How We Get There
Of course, individual choices alone won’t shift the system. We need to rebuild the conditions that support joyful, sustainable living.
That’s what regenerative innovation is all about.
At Carom, we define regenerative innovation as designing systems that serve life instead of markets. It’s about shifting the logic of business, technology and culture from extraction to participation.
Regenerative businesses today aren’t perfect. But they’re experimenting with:
Circular production that’s rooted in natural cycles
Shared ownership and value creation, not just shareholder return
Partnership with ecosystems, not domination of them
Purpose-aligned brands that reflect the living systems they depend on
They’re making regeneration visible, accessible and aspirational..not just technical.
Your Joy Is Not Selfish. It’s a Signal.
The most radical act in a broken system may be to feel good while doing good. Regeneration is not about suffering through change. It’s about designing lives that are more alive.
So let’s stop asking people to make a false choice between personal well-being and planetary well-being. They’re not opposites. They’re intertwined.
When we heal our relationship with the planet, we start to feel at home again..in our bodies, our communities, our work, our time.
What Now?
This isn’t about perfection. It’s about participation.
· Start by noticing what brings you alive.
· Support businesses that regenerate rather than deplete.
· Question what you were told you needed, and then listen closely for what life might be asking for instead.
Why? Because happiness isn’t a commodity. It’s a consequence of living in the right relationship with life.
At Carom, we’re building tools, stories, and frameworks for regenerative innovation. Not just for companies to transform but for the future of living well. Join us.