Rising Star: Stig Westling, founder of Skip to Renew

Stig Westling, founder and chief executive officer of Skip to Renew, has always had a passion for the environment and green chemistry. He has a degree in biochemistry from California State University Fullerton and a green MBA in sustainable enterprise from Dominican University of California in San Rafael.

The seed of inspiration for producing sustainable, environmentally friendly lubricants took hold while working at Sirona Fuels, an East Bay biodiesel plant. “At the plant, we make 50,000 to 60,000 gallons of biodiesel each month. Initially, we had to buy a lot of petroleum-based lubricants [to keep the machines running], which is bad for the environment. I thought there had to be a better way,” says the 29-year-old Westling. More than 50 percent of all lubricants are disposed into the environment, releasing cancer-causing and endocrine-disrupting toxins, according to Westling.

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