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The article discusses new job possibilities across several industries in the U.S. for those who have skills to bridge the divide between the old, fossil-fuel-based economy and the new, energy-efficient one. Ecotourism, which is growing at three times the rate of the tourism sector itself, is stated to provide employees with the opportunity to travel while communicating the importance of the global environment. Opportunities in planning and land use as local governments become interested in reducing their communities' carbon footprint and several adults turning to some form of alternative care offering diverse opportunities in medical and health-care systems is discussed. Information is provided on careers related to the environment in law, information technology and education.

The article offers information on the ban of plastic bags in various cities of the U.S. and concerns regarding the adoption of paper bags as an alternative. Many cities that have banned or are considering plastic bag bans include Steamboat Springs, Colorado, Portland, Oregon and California. Governments want to ban plastic bags as they have short life and clog storm drains and threatens marine wildlife. However , greater cost involved in the production of paper bags and bio degradable products is said to be a snag in the adoption of the same.

The article offers information on the issuance of three commemorative coins in the United States featuring bald eagles. Images of a nineteen-year-old bald eagle named Challenger were minted in the U.S. coin, in celebration of thirty five years of the Endangered Species Act. A legislation passed in 2004 made possible the minting of the coins. A portion of the proceeds will go to the recovery effort of delisted birds and endangered avian species across the country. Challenger became the most popular animal on a U.S. mint.

The article reports on the discovery of scientists that a leatherback turtle swam for almost 650 days from Papua Barat, Indonesia to an area off the coast of Oregon to eat jellyfish. The scientists attached a transmitter, which is programmed to fall of after two years, on the turtle to document the turtle's journey. According to scientists, the turtle's migration was timed to an annual boom in coastal jellyfish populations. Based on the article, the Pacific leatherbacks are endangered species that is why their migrations are being studied to identify which waters to protect to conserve turtle populations.

The article reports that more than 20,000 Mexican free-tailed bats and evening bats have inhabited Interstate 95 in Port Saint Lucie, Florida. The plans to widen the road have been delayed because of the bats. It is noted that the construction workers are working around the colony to avoid disturbing the bats that are raising their young. According to John Greenwood of Friends of Bats, the maternity season for the free-tailed bats will last from early May to mid-August. He claims that the bats chose bridge because the passageway is narrow enough to prevent natural predators from entering.

The article reports on the testing of installing artificial turf fields with crumb rubber infill. According to Nancy Alderman, the president of the environmental group Environment and Human Health Incorporated (EHHI) which suggested the infill, the infill has some green credibility because it's made of recycled rubber tires, but it poses a human health risk. Mary Jane Martina, analytical chemist at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station (CAES), the group commissioned to test for any leaching of harmful chemicals as a result of heat or water contact, and her team at CAES found several compounds being emitted by the tire crumbs when subjected to heat, three of which can cause skin and eye irritation in large amounts, and one known carcinogen.

The article focuses on a black Australian swan named Petra that makes her home on the Aasee Lake in Munster, Germany. Petra is the only swan of her species on the lake and has never migrated since she has fallen for a white, plastic swan-shaped pedal boat. As described by biologists at the nearby Allweter Zoo, Petra stares longingly at the plastic boat, cooing and swimming circles around it as park goers sail and row around the lake. Zoo officials decided to house the swan and her boat boyfriend in a protected pond on zoo grounds and transported the two in November 2007 to their love nest.

The article looks at the impact of ranching, energy and residential development in Wyoming on the bird species, sage grouse. The bird's existence is reported to be at risk in the state after U.S. District Judge Lynn Winmill rejected a 2005 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) decision not to list the bird as endangered. The judge argued that the agency based its opinion on faulty science, deferring to oil and gas interests. However, biologists at Wyoming Game and fish estimate that only 140,000 sage grouse remain in the state. The bird's population has declined by 70 percent since the 1960s. According to Audubon Wyoming Executive Director Brian Rutledge, the decline can be attributed to the energy industry's heavy footprint across the bird's sagebrush habitat.

The article offers information regarding Southeast False Creek in Vancouver, British Columbia, which has been selected as a model neighborhood for sustainable urban planning for the 2010 Olympic Village. It states that the planned neighborhood features the heat recovery technology which will significantly reduce greenhouse emissions and the raw sewage will eventually go to a plant on Iona Island, where it will receive only primary treatment. Other features are native landscaping, urban agriculture and pedestrian and bike-friendly pathways. The city expects to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50 percent or 6,000 tons annually by implementing the system.

The article reports on the partnership between the Cornell Ornithology Lab and National Audubon to create the eBird online database. This database is said to generate graphs, frequency charts and rare bird sighting alerts. The data also help track migrations and identify possible Important Bird Areas, says Brian Sullivan, an eBird project leader. The benefit of eBird to truck driver Bill Pulliam is noted.

The article reports on the difficulties faced by golfers on Christmas Island due to the presence of hundreds of red crabs migrating to and from the ocean during their breeding season. Local rules at the Christmas Island Golf Club require golfers to play around the crustaceans as if they were any other hazard. Starting around November, the red crabs that inhabit the island's rainforest make the journey to the ocean to mate, frequently crossing busy roads and walking through yards and houses on their way.

The article reports on the conflict regarding the plan of other cities in the U.S. to ban the single-use of plastic bags in grocery and drug stores. It states that the plastic industry are threatening to sue over increased paper bag use. According to Keith Christman, senior director of packaging for the American Chemistry Council, plastic bag manufacturing uses 40 to 70 percent less energy than paper and emits less than half the greenhouse gas emissions as producing paper bags. However, Andy Peri, campaigner for Green Sangha, even if a plastic bag is recycled properly it still has a short life span.

The article presents information on the nature-inspired teaching strategy at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Prairie Wetlands Learning Center in Fergus Falls, Minnesota. The educational program of the school uses the natural features of the prairie as learning tools to complete the regular curriculum of students. Students in the prairie science class spend two hours every school day away from their traditional classrooms and out in the field. The Learning Center includes native and restored prairie, separate wetlands, and trails.

The article features the instrumental rock trio Bird Show of North America. The group is composed of guitarist Ian Peters, drummer CJ Miller, and painter Curtis Poortinga. The band formed when Peters and Miller decided they need a theme, and the bird idea cam from Miller, an avid birdwatcher. Poortinga usually paints the song's namesakes during performances, and his paintings sell for $20 to $40 after shows. Bird Show of North America released its first full-length album, "Murder Over Moscow," in October 2007, which is available on iTunes and at cdbaby.com.

The article reports on Sam the Seagull, as he is known by workers at a newsstand in Aberdeen, Scotland, which has been regularly stealing bags of Chili Heatwave-flavored Doritos and snacking with other birds. According to the article, Sam waits until the shop door is open before sneaking in to get a bag of Doritos. Store employee Sriaram Nagarajan says Sam has been stealing always the same flavor of Doritos since July 2007. A YouTube video recently emerged, showing Sam swiping the chips from the bottom shelf and walking out the door with the bag in his beak.

The article offers information regarding the controversy surrounding the 2002 Farm Bill which included the provision mandating country of origin labeling (COOL) on seafoods in the U.S. The 2002 Farm Bill included this provision not only for seafood but also for meat products, fruits and vegetables. But despite the bill's passage, congressional Republicans have held off mandatory labeling of meat products for five years, claiming the labels would hurt the meat industry, and the argument is supported by importers, meatpackers, food processors and grocers. However, supporters of the labeling, led by Senator Tom Daschle (D-SD) are gathering their forces and lobbying for consumers' right to know where their food comes from.

The article reports on the ban on the use of bottled water in San Francisco, California. San Francisco Mayor Gavin Christopher Newsom issued an executive directive phasing out the city's bottled water use, citing environmental concerns and the excellent quality of municipal tap water. In the past four and a half years, the city spent more than $2 million supplying bottled water to government employees. By December 1, the city has been asked to switch from bottled water dispensers to water dispensers using Hetch Hetchy water. Americans buy 28 billon single-serving water bottles each year and more than 80 percent end up in landfills or Incinerators, according to the Container Recycling Institute.