Automakers seem to like working on making brownfields a little less brown. Chrysler is working with Michigan State University on growing biofuel crops on the dirty soil, and Ford needed to do a lot of cleaning up after itself at its Minneapolis-St. Paul-area Highland Park property. For another of Ford's brownfield projects, this one at the company's Fairlane Green retail and recreational development in Michigan, Ford won the national Phoenix Award for excellence in brownfield development this week.

The Phoenix Awards (whose website lists the 2006 winner's in the "new" category) have been around since 1997 "to honor the groups that develop significant brownfields sites across the country." Ford's work at Fairlane Green included converting the old landfill site to "a sustainable new development that provides social and economic benefit to the community in an environmentally responsible manner." Full details from Ford available after the jump.

Chrysler and Michigan State University have just completed the second year of a five-year development program for growing biofuel feed-stocks. In this case however, there is no threat of competing with food sources. The company and university are growing a mix of corn, soy beans, switch grass, canola and sunflowers on a two-acre plot that is part of former superfund site in Rose Township, MI. The site belonged to a former supplier of Chrysler and was used as a dump in the 1970s. The crops are being grown with a minimum of water and fertilizer. MSU Professor Kurt Thelen is analyzing the crops right now to determine the yields and how much of any contaminants might have been absorbed. One potential issue is the crops absorbing contaminants that might get passed through to the fuel. On the other hand, these sort of use of these sites could also help to clean them up and eventually make them useful for other purposes.

Related:

• Brownfields growing green fuels in Michigan update
• Turning brownfields green with biofuel crops

[Source: Chrysler]