I think there's a green side to John Kerry, if you like, that

Hear the words of Douglas Brinkley, historian of men and movements, who declared: “I think there’s a green side to John Kerry, if you like, that he’s an environmental activist. His record on the environment is as best as you have on a pro-environment record of anybody in the U.S. Senate.” These are words of recognition, not flattery—a testimony to a statesman whose labors have often been bound to the cause of protecting the earth. Brinkley, who has long studied the arc of American history, saw in Kerry not merely a politician, but a man with a green side, a heart inclined toward stewardship of the land, water, and air entrusted to us.

The meaning of this saying lies in the acknowledgment that true leadership must extend beyond war and wealth, beyond diplomacy and lawmaking, into the defense of creation itself. To call Kerry an environmental activist is to highlight that his work did not stop at rhetoric but reached into policy, legislation, and international agreements. In the U.S. Senate, his record of supporting clean energy, climate action, and conservation placed him among the champions of sustainability. Brinkley, in praising this record, affirms a truth: that a leader’s greatness is measured not only by power gained or battles fought, but by the protection of the earth for generations yet unborn.

The origin of this truth can be traced to the growing environmental awakening of the late 20th century. The world was reeling from oil spills, polluted rivers, vanishing forests, and the specter of climate change. In this time, voices like Kerry’s rose within the halls of power, calling for new paths that balanced progress with preservation. His work in the Senate, advocating for emissions reductions and international climate cooperation, reflected the broader movement that had begun with Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring and the first Earth Day. Brinkley’s words capture Kerry as a torchbearer within this lineage.

History gives us examples of other leaders who embraced this green side as part of their legacy. Theodore Roosevelt, a man of vigor and vision, established national parks and forests, preserving millions of acres from exploitation. His actions, like Kerry’s, sprang from a recognition that leadership is not complete without guardianship of nature. In contrast, nations and rulers who ignored the earth’s warnings—such as those who allowed unchecked deforestation in ancient Mesopotamia—saw their lands wither and their civilizations crumble. The lesson is the same across ages: stewardship is survival, neglect is ruin.

But Brinkley’s quote is not only about John Kerry. It is about the very expectation we must place upon those who lead us. For in an age where the climate crisis darkens the horizon, it is no longer enough for leaders to govern economies or armies; they must also be activists for the environment, voices of conscience, wielders of policy that defends the fragile balance of creation. To praise Kerry’s record is to set a standard by which others may be judged: who among the powerful has dared to use their influence for the protection of the earth?

The lesson for us is clear and urgent: do not leave environmental activism only to the activists. Demand it of your leaders, your senators, your presidents, your governors. When casting votes, when raising voices, ask not only about taxes and trade, but about rivers, forests, and skies. Hold them accountable, as Brinkley reminds us, not merely for wealth or war, but for the earth itself. For in the end, no nation survives if its soil is poisoned, its water drained, and its air unfit to breathe.

Therefore, in your own life, take up this mantle. Let there be a green side to each of us. Carry the habits of conservation, the courage of activism, into your homes, your communities, your places of work. Support leaders who honor creation, and challenge those who neglect it. For the earth is not an inheritance from our parents—it is a loan from our children.

So remember Brinkley’s words: “He’s an environmental activist… His record is as best as you have on a pro-environment record.” Let them stand as both praise and challenge. Praise, for those who have labored in defense of the planet. Challenge, for all who hold power today and tomorrow. For the measure of greatness, in this age and in every age to come, will not be counted only in monuments of stone or law, but in the living monuments of forests preserved, rivers restored, and a world kept whole for generations yet unborn.