There are two things everyone know about Americans:

1. We are the fattest country in the world.

2. We are the largest oil consumer in the world.

(Honorable mention: we produced Paris Hilton.)

But what if we could solve both of those problems (sorry, there is no solving the Paris issue) at once?

Enter Dr. Alan Bittner, a plastic surgeon in Los Angeles. He used the fat he was sucking out of those vapid LA women and turned it into fuel for his SUV. Yes, you read that right: he drove to work with someone’s thighs.

Apparently, this isn’t anything new: “Fat–whether animal or vegetable–contains triglycerides that can be extracted and turned into diesel.” Even companies like Tyson are looking at using the animal fat – currently an annoying biproduct of production – to fuel their delivery trucks

This news not only means that we can stop “funding terrorism” by depending on the Middle East for oil, but that the U.S. could become the largest exporter of oil in the world! No need for offshore drilling; think of all those overweight Americans that we could drill! Think of all the money we could make!

If this isn’t an answer to all of our problems (obesity, dependency on the Middle East, the recession), I don’t know what is. Seriously, you can start right here. I have enough fat on my butt to get myself home for the holidays.

I’m sure we’ve all felt the effects of the current economic crisis; I know I have. Between my commute to work, the standard bills, and the want to have a normal life, my bank account is rarely flourishing with funds. More like, depleting drastically. People are losing jobs, industries are crumbling, and, lord knows, if you have any money in stock – well, let’s hope you have something extra stashed away beneath your mattress.

All that being said, life must go on, right?

So, how do we tighten the belt without living like a hermit? Here are some tips:

Budget: Set your spending limits on a weekly basis. And stick. to. it. Review your receipts at night to make sure you are staying on track, and be honest about what you are spending. This will keep your bank account in the green.

Save on Gas: Carpool with your friends or co-workers. If you need to do some errands, combine them all into one day, and make a route that will hit each stop, in one circle…versus going back and forth in all different directions.

If you live in a city, eliminate your cab usage. I know it is so much easier to hail a cab on those late, drunken evenings, but if you take some public transportation you’ll spend $2.00 versus $15. Or, trying hoofing it; you will burn those drinks away and have some extra wiggle room for a late night snack. Read More »

In this country we tend to take everything for granted. Blaming everyone else when something goes wrong rather than take responsibility ourselves is not the way to go about solving the problem. It is time to stop blaming the politicians and big corporations and take a stand. Don’t buy another gas automobile. If you are like me, out shopping for your first non-mom-and-dad purchased car, now is the time to grow up.

If Americans really cared about the war in the Middle East, global warming and our enormous foreign trade deficit, than now is the time to stop buying new automobiles until they produce an alternative car to fossil fuel. This is a matter of simple economics (one of the few classes I dominated).

This simple action would put a huge dent in the three issues mentioned above. Americans currently use over 15 million barrels a day of crude oil, over 9 million is gasoline. Blame whatever Texan you like, but the reality is that this money will largely go to countries who hate us. If we all stood together and refused to purchase any new cars unless they ran on non-fossil fuel engines, we could make a real difference.

The phrase “bigger is better” does not just apply in the bedroom, it applies to American culture. Bigger homes, bigger meals, and bigger cars….so is the world really ready to downsize, travel less or make the effort to use alternative fuel? There are a lot of alternative fuel options, some vehicles use electric, others can run on water, hydrogen and even types of grass, but how accessible are these methods to the American public? How many people do you actually know who drive a car that runs on an alternative fuel method? Read More »