One of the interesting news items to come across my radar last week was this one: a Beverly Hills doctor turned human fat exorcised from liposuction patients into biodiesel for his and his wife’s SUVs. How Beverly Hills is that? Dr. Craig Alan Bittner, the Beverly Hills plastic surgeon in question, recently admitted that he “turned the fat he removed from patients into bio-diesel that fueled his Ford SUV and his girlfriend’s Lincoln Navigator.” Just when you thought that plastic surgery was only for the vain and that it served no real purpose except to make people look like the Muppet versions of themselves (e.g. Joan Rivers), a new societal benefit comes from a practice that many of us would never consider for ourselves. Who knew that plastic surgery could help save the planet as well? This concept is one that is taking hold across many industries. According to Forbes, Tyson is looking to power its truck fleet with chicken fat (there isn’t a vehicle version of salmonella, is there?), and green companies developing biodiesel options are now adding animal fat to traditional vegetable ingredients given both shortages and high prices for vegetable-based ingredients. So, will you be able to ask for your suctioned fat in a doggie bag after your next session with your plastic surgeon? Probably not, as it is definitely against the law in most states to use human medical waste as a fuel for your vehicle. And interestingly enough, Dr. Bittner has fled the country to pursue volunteer work in South America. So, the future of turning your sagging body parts into fuel is bleak, at least in the short term. In the meantime, all of us at Tonic encourage exercise to shed any excess weight. Read more here.
