With the Conventions over, Purple is studying the Democratic (32 pages) and Republican (54 pages) platforms to understand where each party wants to take the nation. His interests are informed both by his career as an international businessman and as a conservationist - a Board member, officer and/or Senior Fellow of three major national environmental organizations. So Purple turned first to the environmental policies of each party. Here are some highlights.

Democratic Platform extracts:

Democrats are committed to protecting our natural resources while creating jobs, preserving habitats and ensuring that future generations can enjoy our nation's outdoor heritage.... Democrats have made protecting the environment a top priority.

Democrats are committed to …. Preserving sensitive public lands from oil and gas exploration, like the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

We know that global climate change is one of the biggest threats of this generation - an economic, environmental and national security catastrophe in the making. We affirm the science of climate change, commit to significantly reducing the pollution that causes climate change, and know that we have to meet this challenge by driving smart policies that lead to greater growth in clean energy generation and result in a range of economic and social benefits.

We have developed historic fuel efficiency standards that will limit greenhouse gas emissions from our vehicles....made unprecedented investments in clean energy, and proposed the first-ever carbon pollution limits for new fossil-fuel-fired power plants.

.... We will continue to support smart, energy efficient manufacturing. Democrats pledge to continue showing international leadership on climate change, working toward an agreement to set emission limits in unison with other emerging powers.

Democrats will continue to work with local communities to conserve our publicly owned lands and dramatically expand investments in conserving and restoring forests, grasslands and wetlands across America. .... We will ensure that our National Parks are protected while expanding opportunities for Americans to visit and experience these national treasures.

Republican Platform extracts:

Conservation is a conservative value. .... The Republican Party believes in the moral obligation of the people to be good stewards of the God-given natural beauty and resources of our country. ....A policy protecting these objectives must balance economic development and property rights in the short run with conservation goals over the long run.

Science allows us to weigh the costs and benefits of a policy .... this is especially important when the causes and long-range effects of a phenomenon are uncertain. We must restore scientific integrity to our public research institutions and remove political incentives from publicly funded research.

Experience has shown that .... the worst instances of environmental degradation have occurred under government control. Congress should reconsider whether parts of the federal government's enormous land holdings and control of water in the West could be better used for ranching, mining or forestry through private ownership.

The Republican Party supports appointing …. officials who will properly and correctly apply environmental laws and regulations, always in support of economic development, job creation, and American prosperity and leadership.

We support opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for exploration and production of oil and natural gas.

Since 2009 the EPA has moved forward with expansive regulations that will impose tens of billions of dollars on American business and consumers. …. We demand an end to the EPA's participation in "sue and settle" lawsuits, sweetheart litigation brought by environmental groups to expand the agency's regulatory activities against the wishes of Congress and the public.

We will end the EPA's war on coal and encourage the increased safe development of the nation's coal reserves. We oppose any and all cap and trade legislation.

We also call on Congress to take quick action to prohibit the EPA from moving forward with new greenhouse gas regulations that will harm the nation's economy and threaten millions of jobs over the next quarter century.

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So, voters, you have a choice. For his part, Purple wishes Teddy Roosevelt was running.