Casey Coates Danson (born Cassandra Coates), grew up on the north shore of Long Island. She attended Great Neck High School and attended Lasell Jr. College in Boston. After college she lived in London for a year, then moved to New York City. Casey received her BFA in Environmental Design from Parsons, graduating with honors in 1975. Upon graduating, she worked for the firm of Ben Thompson in Cambridge, Massachusetts. In 1977, she married actor Ted Danson, and moved to Los Angeles. Casey's interest in solar energy and sustainable design coincided with Jimmy Carter's solar tax incentives at a time when architectural design was beginning to emphasize sustainability. In the 1980s, Casey and her husband co-founded the American Oceans Campaign (AOC), a non-profit response and advocacy group for the protection of our oceans. Casey Danson established Global Possibilities in 1996, a non-profit organization that advocates for solar and other renewable energies in the United States. Danson produced a one-hour documentary film, “Who’s Got The Power,” to promote solar energy use in the built environment and to encourage dialogue about environmental issues. She designed and lives in her own solar-powered home in Los Angeles.