Nothing keeps me awake at night more than the prospect of an overnight long-haul flight with a toddler.

Gone are the days where we can while away the hours watching movies with teeny tiny bottles of wine in hand. These days every nail-biting second is spent focused on helping Chloe fall and stay asleep. We don't mind if we don't sleep just as long as she does… and most other passengers seem to feel the same. Especially those in the seats around us the crestfallen holidaymakers who realise they are about to cross the Atlantic alongside a very cute but very feisty ball of energy.

With this in mind, our long-haul flight preparation starts a week before we take off. We spend days talking about how much fun it will be to sleep on the plane. The passport-money-tickets checklist turns into a passport-bunny-dummy checklist as we make sure we have all the valuable sleep cues on hand. Whether or not it will work every time who knows, but we were in luck when we made a quick trip to England last week.

Though as tricky as the overnight flight may be, the return journey is always more traumatic. The prospect of a seven-hour flight during the day with someone who is fascinated by everything new in their surroundings is daunting. Our prayers were answered when Chloe fell asleep for a long nap, but we still had four more hours of exploring the aisles as we tried to keep the chaos to a minimum. Unfortunately the aisles of planes aren't great playgrounds for toddlers especially for those who become obsessed with the handle on the emergency exit.

Nevertheless I did think we'd managed to keep a fairly low-profile, but this illusion was shattered by a lady who remarked pointedly in arrivals "good luck with that one!" Hmmm, maybe we hadn't been so quiet after all. This apparently is the only good reason to look forward to the sullen, withdrawn, teenage years…the bliss of travelling in peace, knowing our kids are slumped in the row behind, engrossed in movies and iPods.

But despite the torturous flights, a quick trip home is always worth it. And basking in the luxury of the communal parenting that comes from visiting friends and family, I had much more time to focus on all things domestic. Whilst normally I'm lucky if I have enough time to put out the recycling, at Mum's I happily sorted everything into the correct bins and boxes. I also wandered the aisles of the supermarket thinking how easy it is to eat locally and seasonally in the UK. It seems so much easier to be environmentally friendly overseas than on our little rock.

Or is it? The reality is that sometimes we just need to make more of an effort to discover our options when it comes to being green in Bermuda. Today, I had a chat with Andrew Vaucrosson (President of Bermuda's environmentally focused charity Greenrock) and took a closer look at their website. It turns out that it's easier than you may think to do your bit in Bermuda.

Currently, one of Greenrock's main projects is its "Healthy Harvest" campaign encouraging people to eat locally and seasonally. Of course we do face challenges living on a remote island. The reality is that we can't produce enough of our own food and that we do have to ship plenty in to meet demand. But that doesn't mean that growing our own food, or buying from local farmers won't make a difference. It's clichéd I know, but every little bit counts and not just right now in terms of environmental impact, but also when it comes to shaping the way we live, shop and farm in years to come.

Greenrock recently presented the Island's premiere of 'Food, Inc.', the movie that aims to lift the veil on the American food industry. If you didn't get a chance to see it, you can rent it locally and it's an absolute must-see for ethical consumers. The major take-away message from the film, is that every single time you purchase something at a supermarket, you are in fact casting your vote.

Here, the more you buy local produce sold through Lindo's, Supermart or one of our other stores, the more they get the message that this is what you want and the more they will strive to provide it. Equally, the more you don't buy produce shipped in from the States and instead support your local farmers at their own venues, the more demand for international produce will drop. It's probably not realistic to think that we will be able to become entirely self-sufficient when it comes to fresh produce, but it is certainly realistic to raise the market activity of local farmers significantly.

But why bother? One of the most compelling arguments is that local, seasonal food is more nutritionally dense than food that has been flown in from overseas. Vitamins and minerals deplete rapidly over time so food that makes its way from the earth to your table quickly is much more beneficial. The bigger picture is that if we eat more nutritionally dense food, we will take in more of the fibre and antioxidant-rich nutrients that protect us from diseases such as cancer, diabetes and heart disease. Not only is that great news in terms of our individual wellbeing, but also in terms of the economy too. It's no secret that as a population we spend well over a million dollars a day on healthcare in Bermuda and the vast majority of this spend is on health concerns that are preventable. What a tragic waste of human life and what a monumental drain on our economy.

So what does Greenrock suggest you do about this? The Healthy Harvest campaign literature details what produce is available locally in the winter, spring, summer and fall. Greenrock suggest that you support local farmers but that you also grow your own produce too even in small amounts. They understand that not everybody has access to land, but they do suggest that those with small gardens focus on growing one thing well, and then swapping produce with others in the community. They are also hoping to establish community gardens so that everyone who wishes to be involved can be regardless of if they have access to their own land or not.

So whilst in previous weeks I've directed you to several international websites, this week let's take a look closer to home. Check out the Greenrock website on www.greenrock.org and especially, look at the Healthy Harvest information under the "projects" tab on the homepage. You'll find lists of all the vegetables, fruit, fish, meat and poultry available locally season by season. You can also read more about the benefits of this approach. And while you're in the projects section, you may also want to check out the Bring Your Own Bottle campaign and the Green Office project for more tips on how you can live a more environmentally friendly and healthy lifestyle. The tips section also has great info on recycling, reducing your carbon footprint and teaching your kids to be green too.

Finally, whilst Greenrock.org is a fantastic and comprehensive resource, I also want to remind you of another great website that focuses on environmentally friendly and sustainable living. The US-based Environmental Working Group have a great site at www.ewg.org

There's a huge and overwhelming amount of information there but on the homepage, on the right-hand side under 'more tools and resources' you'll find some really targeted messages. The resources include: Shoppers guide to pesticides (for when you do have to buy imported produce from the States), the Tuna Calculator (how much is safe?), the 2009 sunscreen safety guide (which formulas are best?), the Cellphone Radiation Report and lastly, the Skin Deep Cosmetic Database. It all makes for fascinating reading just be prepared to make some lifestyle changes when you are done.

l The advice given in this article is not intended to replace medical advice, but to complement it. Always consult your GP if you have any health concerns. Catherine Burns BA Hons, Dip ION is a fully qualified Nutritional Therapist trained by the Institute for Optimum Nutrition in the U.K. Please note that she is not a Registered Dietitian. She can be contacted at nourishbda@gmail.com