The popularity of feathered hats led to the slaughter of millions of birds and endangered many species. In the late 1800s women activists launched a successful boycott and contributed to the founding of the National Audubon Society.
Volunteerism plays an important role in philanthropy in America. After Hurricane Katrina destroyed lives and homes in the Gulf Coast in 2005, many nonprofit groups organized volunteers to help the recovery effort. Jillian Gross led a team from Habitat for Humanity in rebuilding homes in Louisiana.
Description
The tool belt was used by Jillian Gross while working for Habitat for Humanity, a not-for-profit, non-government organization advocating affordable housing around the world. The belt is designed to carry tools and other items to keep handy on a job site. This brown canvas tool belt has suspenders to support the belt's weight, tool holders, pouches, a steel closure and grommeted holes to adjust the fit.
When Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast in August 2005, Jillian Gross had worked with Habitat for Humanity for three years learning woodworking and house-building skills. Groups such as Habitat for Humanity marshaled volunteers, tools and lumber to step in when it became clear that normal avenues of housing assistance were overwhelmed.
In November 2005, Habitat for Humanity launched “America Builds on the National Mall,” a demonstration house-building marathon in Washington, D.C. in which the basic components of 51 homes were assembled within a week and shipped to the Gulf Coast. Upon completion of the project Ms. Gross, one of the house building leaders during this event, donated her tool belt, tools and protective wear to the Smithsonian Institution.
The popularity of feathered hats led to the slaughter of millions of birds and endangered many species. In the late 1800s women activists launched a successful boycott and contributed to the founding of the National Audubon Society.
Few episodes in United States history helped forge today’s culture of environmental awareness more than a controversial proposal to build dams within Grand Canyon National Park.
The Grand Canyon’s unique beauty and immense scale have impressed generations of Americans, making the Northern Arizona landmark one of the nation’s most symbolically rich natural landscapes.
The Canyon is formed by the Colorado River, a water system running from the Rocky Mountains into the Gulf of California. The Colorado is one of the largest sources of fresh water and hydro-electric power available to arid portions of the western United States. The river’s resources have been taxed by ever-increasing populations. Dams had already been built on much of the Colorado when the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation proposed erecting new dams within the Grand Canyon in the mid 1960s. The dams were proposed despite the Grand Canyon’s designation as a federally protected National Park (1919.)
The National Association of Audubon Societies was founded in 1905 to protect birds whose populations were being decimated by hunters for the plume (feather) trade. The organization was named after John James Audubon, a 19th century naturalist and artist who produced the book series Birds of America, published between 1827 and 1838. In 1940 the Association changed its name to the National Audubon Society, and since that time it has become engaged with a broad array of environmental concerns.
Canadian activists opposed to nuclear testing in Alaska founded Greenpeace in 1971. The international organization has since turned its attention to a variety of environmental concerns, such as whaling, bottom trawling, global warming, nuclear power, and genetic engineering.
Marcie Doll, Salvation Lass, for the Salvation Army. A blond- haired doll with a long sleeve blue dress, blue shawl with ribbon, and a blue bonnet with maroon ribbon. Shoes are black and painted on. Her green eyes open and shut. The doll is in the original cardboard box. marks: "The Salvation Army" on back of bonnet; "this is a/ Marcie/ Doll" with registered trademark on tag inside dress.
Today the Salvation Army is best known for collecting funds during the holidays. But the evangelical group began in the 1880s founding rescue missions across the nation. Although care for the poor became increasingly secular in the late 1800s with the rise of social welfare professionals, religious groups continued to play a crucial role.
“Friends of the Earth,” an organization promoting global conservation, was founded in 1969 by David Brower (1914-2000). He created the group after leaving the Sierra Club, for which he served as Executive Director from 1952 to 1969. Brower, who had a long career as an activist, is considered one of the nation’s most important naturalists.