Karen Kendrick-Hands was a Detroit-area environmental lawyer and activist. Since the 1980s, Kendrick-Hands participated in a variety of causes within Michigan, notably regarding issues of greenhouse gas emissions. Specific actions included the Polluters Pay Act, opposing the split of Michigan's Department of Natural Resources and Department of Environmental Quality, SEMCOG's Ozone Action! campaign, and opposition to garbage incinerators in Michigan. Over the years she has supported environmentalism by utilizing her experience as a lawyer to tackle environmental issues from the legal and legislative angles. She has recently become notable as a purveyor of high-end yarn and knit goods and runs a nonprofit organization that promotes the crafts of knitting and crochet. The Karen Kendrick-Hands Papers contain records regarding the environmental campaigns she participated in over the years. Most records are grouped by subject, often by environmental issue or organization. Much of the collection is comprised of publicly available records with Kendrick-Hands' personal notes and annotations written in the margins. Commonly found throughout the collection are Karen Kendrick-Hands' handwritten notes from various meetings and events she attended.