Pittsburgh Post Gazzette By Scott Shalaway

Polls remind us repeatedly that a majority of Americans favors policies that protect the environment. To see evidence of this concern, look no further than your pocket change.

Since 1999, the U.S. Mint has issued billions of new quarters that honor the 50 states. They have been released in the order that states entered the Union. To date, 43 state quarters have been issued. Wyoming’s quarter will be released in September. Utah follows later this year, and the last five quarters (Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arizona, Alaska, Hawaii) will be minted in 2008.

Each state was responsible for developing its own design. Most states (30 of 50) chose a theme that highlighted their natural heritage. Given the opportunity to design a coin that would promote the state to hundreds of millions of Americans and foreign tourists, 60 percent of the states chose a design that featured wildlife or scenic vistas. The rest selected designs that highlighted historical or cultural themes.