Dusty the Dusthole
Encyclopedia
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
. The character and his trademark slogan — "Don't Be A Dusthole" —have been seen by millions of residents and tourists in the state of Nevada, via a massive media push consisting of billboards, radio ads, public appearances, TV spots, and print coverage.
Background
The "Dusty" character and its associated campaign were created by Clark County, NevadaClark County, Nevada
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 1,375,765 people, 512,253 households, and 339,693 families residing within the MSA. The racial makeup of the MSA was 71.6% White , 9.1% Black, 5.7% Asian, 0.8% American Indian and 12.8% of other or mixed race. 22.0% were Hispanic of any race...
agencies in response to threats of losing government funds due to unacceptable levels of dust pollution in the Las Vegas valley, which were in violation of US Environmental Protection Agency
United States Environmental Protection Agency
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is an agency of the federal government of the United States charged with protecting human health and the environment, by writing and enforcing regulations based on laws passed by Congress...
policy.
The campaign succeeded in raising awareness of dust pollution violations, resulting in $1.2-million in fines, which were channeled to the local school district.
Controversy
The "Dusty" character has been so pervasive in the state of Nevada that off-roadingOff-roading
Off-roading is a term for driving a vehicle on unsurfaced roads or tracks, made of materials such as sand, gravel, riverbeds, mud, snow, rocks, and other natural terrain.-Off-road vehicle:...
groups have felt the need to defend themselves against the new awareness of the dust problems, having lost some of their longstanding travel privileges as result of Dusty's ubiquitous presence.