Oakland, CA – A newish news opinion post over at ZennieReport.com praises the East Oakland-located Argent Materials as a "CleanTech Community Asset". We present that viewpoint in full below.
Argent Materials, the Oakland business that turns old concrete and asphalt into new construction products, generally goes by “Argent Materials Oakland CleanTech” but should be called “Argent Materials East Oakland CleanTech for The Community”. Here’s why.
First, Argent Materials is located at 8300 Baldwin St, which is right in the Coliseum Industrial Zone, and just a three-minute drive from the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Complex. That’s in East Oakland, and just a city-block-walk from the Oakland Coliseum BART Station.
Second, Argent Materials has been a friend to East Oakland and what some, like the members of the Oakland Private Industry Council, would call a “community asset”. In 2024, Argent Materials founder and President Bill Crotinger was named Leader of the Year by the Oakland Private Industry Council: “I was humbled and honored to be named Leader of the Year by the Oakland Private Industry Council. Truly an honor. My heartfelt thanks to my friend and mentor Pastor Raymond Lankford and all the wonderful people at OPIC.”
Argent Materials Is An Oakland CleanTech Business For The Community
In 2022, Terry Wiley, then Chief Assistant District Attorney of the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office reported that the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office received a $2.3 million dollar grant from Caltrans to combat illegal dumping in the City of Oakland and the City of Hayward. This grant will fund a new partnership between the District Attorneys Office and non-profit Downtown Streets Team (who provide job opportunities for the homeless), Waste Management and recycler, Argent Materials. Wiley said “This grant will allow us to provide job opportunities for the homeless and hopefully put them on a path to one day being housed. They will be paid to help clean up areas of illegal dumping in underserved neighborhoods in the Cities of Oakland and Hayward. Waste Management and Argent Materials will haul away the illegally dumped materials. We hope this partnership will become a model for other communities suffering from illegal dumping.”
Alameda County Supervisor Lena Tam had this to say about Argent Materials as an Oakland community asset: “Congratulations toArgent Materials and its President and Founder, Bill Crotinger! The company is now fully operational, recycling an impressive 99.99% of concrete and asphalt debris, which helps divert thousands of tons of construction waste from landfills. They are also proud to announce that 50% of their team consists of local hires. In celebration of Thanksgiving, and despite stormy weather last week, theAlameda County Sheriffs, alongside Mr. Crotinger and Argent Materials’ dedicated staff distributed turkeys and pies as a heartfelt gesture of gratitude to the community.”
ABI Foundry reports that Argent Materials led a community clean up for the residents and businesses of Russett Street as well as San Leandro Street. An ABI Foundry team member said “Bill Crotinger at Argent Materials spearheaded the initiative to clean San Leandro street, from Hegenburger to 98th Ave. along the side of BART. AB&I enjoyed participating along with Acts Full Gospel C.O.G.I.C (Men of Valor), Good Hope Missionary Baptist Church-Oakland (Reverend Michael Jones) and Argent Materials. You should see how it looks now. It is AMAZING! It takes an ambitious mind to make a difference block by block.”
What Is Cleantech And Why Is It Important to Oakland And Argent Materials?
Clean technology (Clean Tech) refers to products, services, and processes that mitigate negative environmental impacts by increasing energy efficiency, promoting resource sustainability, and minimizing waste and pollution, ultimately contributing to a low-carbon, and more sustainable economy.
What is The Clean Tech Of Argent Materials Of Oakland?
In Argent Materials’ context, “cleantech” refers to their sustainable business model which includes recycling concrete and asphalt into new aggregate materials, diverting waste from landfills, and using renewable diesel for their fleet to achieve carbon neutrality and protect the environment. This business approach Argent Materials uses aligns with the broader definition of cleantech, which involves products, services, and processes that reduce negative environmental impacts through resource efficiency and environmental protection
Clean Tech, or green tech as Argent Materials of Oakland does it, is defined as any technology that minimizes negative environmental impact by reducing human consumption of natural resources and by promoting more sustainable and efficient resource use.
In closing, Argent Materials has been a cleantech community asset to Oakland and will be well into the future.
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