John Grahame cannot disguise his passion for two things: people, and the environment. Then again, there are also birds, dark skies, travel, a cup of coffee at Macy’s … and even meetings.

For Grahame—who is project coordinator for the Coconino County Sustainable Economic Development Initiative, or SEDI—meetings are not a necessary evil but an opportunity to witness first-hand the leadership in northern Arizona embracing two historically opposed ideologies: pro-business or pro-environment.

Flagstaff’s tree-huggers and eco-warriors used to be at odds. But in recent years, as the green movement has gone mainstream, the camps have begun to prioritize shared goals. SEDI is one result of this cooperation.

“Everybody gets it,” said Grahame. “Take a look again at [SEDI’s] Board of Directors … you won’t believe it. There’s tremendous common-ground here in Flagstaff.”

SEDI is a publicly-supported nonprofit whose mission is to create sustainable economic opportunities through a variety of ways, including connecting and coordinating environmental and economic development efforts, educating key stakeholders and the public about the importance of sustainable development, and securing funding for green initiatives—including federal dollars that may be available through President Obama’s economic stimulus agenda.

SEDI was established four years ago and intends to hire its first executive director in January. Its current budget is about $100,000. Volunteers do most of the work, and support comes from private and public sources.

On the Sunday before Christmas, as the snow continued to pile up and ice freeze shut mailboxes and car doors, Grahame was in his office putting together meeting minutes and preparing for the short work week ahead.

He describes himself as a “connector,” borrowing the word from Malcolm Gladwell’s bestseller, “The Tipping Point.” He likes community organizing and it bothers him to see someone walking down the street that he doesn’t know. “I have to know that person,” he laughs.

Grahame began his career as a television producer, working in markets such as Los Angeles and Boston on short-form documentary programs. He got out of television in the mid-80s as reality-based shows began replacing programs of substance that were more expensive to produce.

In 1984 he took a trip around the world, and, visiting mostly emerging countries, had an epiphany: the United States looked “pretty damn good” and “the real potential for environmental activism was in economic development: You can’t save the planet if you can’t make a living on it.”

An avid birder, Grahame moved to Flagstaff to conduct bird surveys. He became co-founder of the Flagstaff Dark Skies Coalition and also built a website through Northern Arizona University documenting the historic land use of the Colorado Plateau, among other website projects. He was hired as SEDI’s first employee.

The job is “ideal” for Grahame, said Flagstaff Vice Mayor Al White, who spoke about Grahame’s energy. Grahame is “dedicated to mission-driven work: it has to also have a purpose besides just providing a paycheck,” White said.

Coconino County Supervisor Carl Taylor seconds that. Taylor and Grahame used to carpool to regional development meetings together, and when SEDI was organizing, Taylor brought him on board and it “turned out to have been a good deal all around,” he added.

Sadly, Grahame said opportunities for a pristine birding experience in northern Arizona no longer exist because of destructive human encroachment. Still, he’s optimistic about the future of economic development and the environment.

And his enthusiasm is contagious.

“Our job as humans,” he said, “is to roll up our sleeves and get involved to save the planet.”