Burning Body Fat — In Your Fuel Tank

This story about a doctor in LA who used his patient’s body fat to fuel his SUV has so many interesting communication angles, I don’t know where to begin.  http://www.forbes.com/technology/2008/12/21/fat-fuel-biodiesel-tech-sciences-cz_pcb_1222fatfuel.html?partner=technology_newsletter

Lets start with why Forbes is covering such a sensationalized story in the technology section.  Could they not find any other example of bio fuel?  Then lets move on to the ethics of using patients’ fat.  Can you imaging how that is communicated?  I can just imagine the nurse explaining to a patient, ‘Please sign here if you would like to donate your post-liposuction fat to the doctor so he can use it in his gas tank.’  The patient responds, ‘Wow, I get to look thinner and help save the earth!’

Sometimes the weird stuff makes the most interesting communication scenarios.  Anyway,  I am keeping my fat and sticking to my Prius!