Kaiser Permanente is prescribing big doses of sustainability in the sixth season of its $50 million Thrive ad campaign.

Two new ads – Emerald Cities and Connected – reinforce the health care provider’s commitment to the planet by dramatically reducing paper use – no small task for an industry long married to countless charts and forms. For most of us, being ordered to “Fill this out” is as rote as, “Hop on the scale,” and just as painful.

The Emerald pitch describes how Kaiser is allowing patients …

Tags: advertising , Allison Janey , American health , care , doctor visits , doctors , e-mail , eco , electronic health records , fuel , gas , green , Health insurance , hopsitals , information , Kaiser Permanente , medicine , paper , patients , prevention , radio , reduce , sustainability , television , thrive , trees

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This is the third in Luanne’s new lifestyle column, Life in the Green Lane. Read the inaugural column, “The Pros & Cons of Being Married to an Eco Man” and the follow-up, “Why Is it So Hard to Get My Mom to Go Green?”.

My dog has fleece. And that’s not all. There are dozens of reasons why this impossibly adorable pug is leaving behind a puny carbon paw print.

If you consider dogs part of the family then it’s important they’re pulling their weight in the eco …

Tags: bio bags , biodegradable , birds , carpool , china , compost , Conserve , dog beds , dog food , dog toys , dogs , endangered , fleece , fuel , green , hybrid , Life in the Green Lane , organic , pets , plastic , pugs , recycle , reuse , Smoky Bear , walking

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“Sara! Want new SmartCar? Txt yes or no quick!”

Such a text message from your mother might be odd in some families, but not in mine (Mom sells cars faster than bootleg Louis Vuittons and also wields a mean text thumb). I didn’t hesitate. “Yes! Pics!”

I didn’t need a test drive. I’d been tooling around in an old, albeit fun, Jeep for several years. Well, fun when I lived in Pacific Palisades, California and a big day was driving to the beach four blocks away. My first winter in San Francisco …

Tags: BRABUS , car , Destination Smart , efficiency , fuel , green , Mercedes , mpg , Passion , review , Smart , SmartCar , Smartfortwo

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If you want to look at the history of American energy, just consider T. Boone Pickens.

When Pickens founded Mesa Petroleum in the 1950s, he took $2500 and turned it into a three-billion-dollar oil empire. He’s Texas old school oil, currently running Dallas-based energy investment fund BP Capital. He is a close, personal friend of the Bush family, and he also funded that little Swift Boat incident that turned John Kerry into election road kill.

But then, a few years ago, something seemed to turn. Pickens is a …

Tags: alternative , energy , fuel , T. Boone Pickens , wind

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I can’t say I’ve ever given much thought to the humble banana skin. Once I peel the banana, the skin is simply thrown into the compost. But work currently being done by scientists at The University of Nottingham has opened my eyes to the fact that it has the potential to do more than simply rot away.

Joel Chaney, a PhD student at the university, has developed a method for turning banana skins (and leaves) into fuel briquettes that could be used for cooking and heating.

The process involves using a …

Tags: banana , energy , fuel , innovation , technology

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There are two ways to persuade people that fossil-fueled cars are a blight. The popular method is to offer alternatives while suggesting why you “really shouldn’t” . And then there’s the other way.

Last week, TechCrunch ran an article suggesting that California was going to ban black cars because they soak up the most heat. The Washington Post got hold of it, then Rush Limbaugh added fuel to the flames (most unlike him, I know)  by advising listeners to buy up black cars before they became …

Tags: amsterdam , ban , cars , electric , europe , fuel , petrol , technology

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Chocolate’s a wonder. Recently elevated to superfood status, the world’s favorite luxury foodstuff (making up half the candy sold in the U.S.) is so complicated and versatile that we’ve barely scratched its surface. It’s a dessert? Tell that to anyone who puts dark chocolate in their chili. It’s unhealthy? In moderation, it’s good for your heart, your skin and your brain. If you think you know chocolate’s role in the world, here are 15 facts that might surprise you….

Tags: chocolate , food , fuel , health , lifestyle , paint , perfume , pets , wellness

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