For the past eight years, the Public Lands Institute worked to address the problem of desert dumping through the Don't Trash Nevada messaging campaign.
During those years, the Don't Trash Nevada team organized desert cleanups, attended community events, developed an Adopt-a-Spot program, and created an environmental education and stewardship curriculum for use in area schools. Messaging campaigns included advertisements on radio and television, billboards, bus wraps, and social media. From 2006 through 2011, PLI estimates nearly 8,000 cubic yards of waste were removed by volunteers during cleanup events. Over 46,000 volunteer hours were logged during this same time period.
While PLI's official involvement in the Don't Trash Nevada campaign is technically over this fall, the impact of the program will be felt far into the future. The program leaves a legacy of a community of citizens actively involved in caring for the desert landscape of Southern Nevada.