3 Things with Anne Gire

Portland has an amazing sustainability community, and we want to highlight the amazing people and work that shapes our unique city. We’re sharing their answers to questions we posed.

Meet Anne Gire, a Sustainability Policy Analyst with the Oregon Building Codes Division (BCD), where she joined the policy and technical services team in March 2024. The BCD collaborates with building officials, technical committees, advisory boards, and the public to develop and interpret the state building code, covering construction methods, products, and materials for

In her role, Anne focuses on exploring opportunities to align lower carbon material policies with building code compliance pathways in Oregon’s construction industry. She works closely with her colleagues dedicated to reducing the environmental impact of buildings, emphasizing energy efficiency and decarbonization.

Anne brings her passion for sustainable building practices to BCD’s mission to foster healthier, greener communities across Oregon.

Now, we’ll hand it over to Anne to share her perspective on advancing sustainability through building policy!

1. What does sustainable mean to you?

To me, sustainable means there is a quality of preservation for structures, products, and processes already being utilized by us humans and our lifestyles. I also think sustainability means responsible inclusion of the existing resources we have on the planet, optimizing for those that are rapidly renewable and/or lowest impacting to the environment in terms of extraction and production.

2. Name a Portland (or Oregon) project or collaboration that has inspired you, and tell us why you are inspired by it.

I've been inspired recently that the City of Portland appointed members of a new governance structure and champion body for current and future climate work called the Sustainability and Climate Commission. I'm not on the commission, however, I'm excited to know it is underway with the intent to drive climate action. It's inspiring because our local and state-level networks have strong collaborations, and we can have continued support of common sustainability goals.

3. What can Portland (or Oregon) be doing better to be more sustainable?

Oregon can continue to be accountable for its contributions to environmental degradation and the climate crisis. This includes transparency in addressing economic and societal issues as well. I would like to experience more educational and celebratory moments as we see the region following through on their leadership in climate action.