You know those really annoying, self-congratulatory round robin letters you get at this time of year? Well, this is my unashamedly boastful version as it has been another good year here at Terra Infirma Towers. Highlights include:

• We brought some brilliant new clients coming on board (eg Viridor, Innovia Films, Grayling, Cynergy)…;
• …while continuing to work with some of the country’s foremost organisations (BAE Systems, Johnson Matthey, the NHS);
• My Green Jujitsu ebook on smart culture change for sustainability was published by Do Sustainability;
• We set up the Corporate Sustainability Mastermind Group (CoSM) and have had a couple of incredibly productive meetings;
• I delivered keynote speeches and workshops at some really good events, probably enjoying the Energy & Environmental Industries Forum the most as I got away with using the phrase ‘subsidy junkies’ about parts of the industry;
• This blog was rated the 7th best green business blog (and, one could argue, the highest ranking genuine blog on the list);
• My first book, The Three Secrets of Green Business, was published in Japanese, so I can finally say I’m Big In Japan.

That’s not to say it has been an easy year. Client budgets are tight, yes, and the purse strings are tighter still! We’ve had to commit a lot of time and effort to build up enough trust to overcome this problem. But worst of all has been the loss of so many valued contacts through redundancy. It is very telling that the readership of The Low Carbon Agenda has flatlined – predominantly through e-mail addresses going dead – although our regular readers still give us great feedback.

It goes without saying personal highlight of the year was the birth of my third son, Charlie Darwin, in September. He’s doing really great and it’s fantastic to see my older boys growing so fond of him despite the fact he demands so much of his Mum’s attention.

Looking in the crystal ball, I believe 2013 is going to be one of consolidation for Terra Infirma – between Green Academy, the Mastermind Group, our coaching programme and bespoke client projects, we now have a good range of ways of helping our clients navigate the road to sustainability. So in the absence of eureka moments, we’ll be focussing on expanding and improving these rather than launching anything radically different.

So that’s pretty much it for this year. I do hope you’ll join us again in the New Year, but in the meantime, it just leaves me to thank all our clients, partners, suppliers, friends and readers for another great year and wish you all a very Merry Christmas!