Four decades ago, a charismatic German woman enchanted the nascent world of global environmentalism. Petra Kelly made a lasting impression with her razor-sharp statements and her passionate embrace of environmental, feminist, and other alternative causes. She was the face of West Germany’s new Green party, and extensive travel made her known all over the world. Kelly and her political friends rocked the staid and male-heavy world of West German politics, and they were not bothered if people found it somewhat disturbing. The Greens did not just advance previously neglected causes. They were out to change the style of German politics.
