Age: 55
Occupation: Professor of journalism at the University of California, Berkeley
Previous TIME 100 Appearances: 0
The author of The Omnivore's Dilemma and other crunchy best sellers, the soft-spoken but passionate Pollan is the dean of sustainable-food writers — and an enemy of mainstream American agriculture. His books have guided millions of American readers toward a healthier, greener way of eating — even as he's remained skeptical of the growing corporate organic movement.