Alan Thein Durning

Who is Alan Thein Durning?

Alan Durning is the founder and executive director of the Sightline Institute, a nonprofit organization based in Seattle, Washington, U.S.

Durning grew up in Seattle, spent his high school years in Chevy Chase, Maryland, and attended Oberlin College during the mid-1980s. From 1986 to 1993, Durning worked as a researcher at the Worldwatch Institute in Washington, D.C. In 1993, Durning returned to Seattle and founded Northwest Environment Watch.

Durning is the author or coauthor of dozens of books and articles. His published books include:

How Much Is Enough?: The Consumer Society and the Future of the Earth

This Place on Earth: Home and the Practice of Permanence

The Car and the City

Misplaced Blame: The Real Roots of Population Growth

Stuff: The Secret Lives of Everyday Things

Tax Shift

Green Collar Jobs: Working in the New Northwest

Durning's newspaper and magazine articles have appeared in the New York Times, Slate, and the Utne Reader. Durning has been a commentator on National Public Radio and has lectured at universities, conferences, and at the White House.