As a child, I grew up around the corner from the Greenwich-Mohawk brownfield sites and now, as an adult, I'm still trying to understand how that land has gotten to the state it's in.

It's hard to believe that those 52 acres used to be a thriving part of the Canadian economy prior to 1980s. But when Massey-Ferguson and Cockshutt/White Farm closed in 1985, it was the beginning of the bleak future the Greenwich-Mohawk brownfield fell victim to.

I was born in 1987, therefore I have never seen anything productive or good come from this large piece of contaminated land that I'm supposed to call my neighbourhood. I grew up on Fair Avenue and it's kind of embarrassing to live around the corner from such a disaster.

In the summers, on the really hot days, the smell isn't exactly delightful. But that's the least of your worries if you live around these brownfield sites. Sometimes in the winter, on the coldest nights, the creatures that live on the sites need somewhere to hide. It wouldn't be to hard guess where they find refuge.

As I got older and took a more serious interest in the brownfield sites, I realized that the city was having issues with the property owners and their hands were seemingly tied. I had lost hope for this land; so much damage had been done. I felt like it had so much potential but unfortunately decontamination and redevelopment is extremely expensive and seems to go far beyond the reach of available resources in Brantford.

Attending the 4th Annual Brownfield Forum at the Polish Hall on Pearl Street, entitled "Redevelopment and the Community," was eye opening.

It has restored some of my faith in the city and in the progress towards cleaning the Greenwich-Mohawk brownfield sites.

I was impressed with the speakers who were invited to the event; Region of Waterloo brownfield coordinator Brooke Lambert, City of Kitchener brownfield coordinator Terry Boutilier and Ryerson University's School of Urban and Regional Planning director Dr. Christopher De Sousa.

I learned how other cities are working towards turning their brownfields into places that are clean, environmentally sound and beneficial to the surrounding community. Seeing results made our brownfield problem seem fixable.

My hope is that one day the Greenwich-Mohawk brownfield sites will be used for something that will have a positive effect on the community and the city of Brantford. People do not enjoy living within feet of such an eyesore and environmental tragedy. The thought of it being something useful or beautiful almost seemed unfeasible.

But this is just the beginning. Talking about the problem, having forums and educating the community is bound to lead to a rational and optimistic solution.
Brantford is finally giving those 52 acres of land a voice and a chance. Finding investors has become a municipal priority and it's comforting to know that this problem is going to be dealt with. It might take years, but a cleanup and redevelopment of this size doesn't happen overnight. It took years to create this problem; it's probably going to take many more to fix it.

(Crystal Thorne is an editorial intern at TheGreenHub.ca)

My first assignment for The Green Hubsters took place at the Polish Hall on Pearl Street in Brantford.

There was an educational event dedicated to the subject of brownfields, and discussions about how we can fix them.

Walking into the event, I knew very little on the subject but very shortly became very aware on how important these situations are, even here in Brantford.

The first thing that I noticed was the photo gallery by the Brant Camera Club which, by the way, was gorgeously set up.

However, the subjects which were photographed were not as appealing. They showed the devastating truth behind brownfields and the damage they create.

The pictures proved a very big point in that these areas need to be addressed and should not be left as they are any longer.

I then had the opportunity to speak with Mary Ellen Kaye, a member of the Brantford Brownfield Community Advisory Committee.

It was the first interview I had ever been involved in, and we filmed it for the first coverage by The Green Hubsters for TheGreenHub.ca

Mary Ellen was very helpful, though, and corrected my misconceptions with very detailed answers. This not only educated me along the way, but was perfect for the news video that we were creating.

Afterwards, everyone was seated to listen to the presentations. I was very shocked to see the hall filled with people from all ages. The speakers were very captivating, and even kept my teenage attention span throughout the entire two hours.

The passion these speakers had for these pieces of land so many people usually ignore was unbelievable. There were only three speakers, and they easily filled the two hours, all addressing different valid information.

They probably would have even gone longer if the time allowed them to. The one thing I thought was best about these speakers is that they all stayed very positive and optimistic.

They concentrated on the good in the past and the hopes in the future instead of 'guilting' people, as a lot of speakers do.

After the event, I was able to talk to Terry Boutilier, a speaker from Kitchener, and asked what sparked his passion in brownfields. He quickly responded saying he just wanted a better downtown, and to make the city a better place.

He explained to me that he had a lot of fun with his projects, and he finds every brownfield a page turner on how they end up.

When questioned on what a regular citizen can do to help the issue, he told me that the quickest way would be to get involved with the local brownfield committee. (In Brantford's case it's the Brantford Brownfield Community Advisory Committee).

He added that even showing interest in the subject helped just by attending conferences and trade shows. One could even help by attracting investors.

All in all, it was an excellent event and the perfect choice for my first assignment for TheGreenHub.ca

(Ciara Antoski attends Pauline Johnson Collegiate & Vocational School in Brantford and is also involved in the annual Earth Hour event. Go to GreenHubvideo on YouTube for more about The Green Hubsters, Earth Hour and more.)