John Kerry had plenty to say about the environment during his speech accepting the Democratic nomination for president. Here are some excerpts:

"[My mother] gave me her passion for the environment. She taught me to see trees as the cathedrals of nature."

"I will have a Vice President who will not conduct secret meetings with polluters to rewrite our environmental laws."

"My parents inspired me to serve, and when I was a junior in high school, John Kennedy called my generation to service. It was the beginning of a great journey - a time to march for civil rights, for voting rights, for the environment, for women, and for peace. We believed we could change the world. And you know what? We did."

"What does it mean when twenty five percent of the children in Harlem have asthma because of air pollution? America can do better. And help is on the way."

"We value an America that controls its own destiny because it's finally and forever independent of Mideast oil.  What does it mean for our economy and our national security when we only have three percent of the world's oil reserves, yet we rely on foreign countries for fifty-three percent of what we consume? I want an America that relies on its own ingenuity and innovation - not the Saudi royal family."

"And our energy plan for a stronger America will invest in new technologies and alternative fuels and the cars of the future -- so that no young American in uniform will ever be held hostage to our dependence on oil from the Middle East."