THIS year, during Lent, we could all make some kind of small sacrifice which could help the environment.

One of the worst problems is pollution from CO2 emissions in car exhaust fumes, which choke our atmosphere and contribute to illnesses such as asthma.

Most of us take our cars very much for granted, but just for 40 days let's try to be a little less dependent on them. Believe it or not there are alternatives. You could walk or cycle to work, or even take public transport -- providing it's running!

If you cannot completely abandon the car, look at ways to reduce the number of journeys you make. Do an errand in town tomorrow when you are near the shops, instead of jumping in the car right now to do it. Walk to the corner shop instead of trailing off in your car to the supermarket?

During Lent why not make a pledge to leave your car at home for at least two days out of the week?

Other ways to help our environment can be by making small sacrifices to save energy. Switch off any lights or fires in rooms you are not using. Turn off the TV instead of leaving it on stand-by. Get into the habit of recycling. Take those empty bottles and drinks cans to your local recycling point, preferably on foot. Recycle newspapers, magazines and junk mail in the white sacks provided by your council.

My personal sacrifice is to stop using the kettle. I brew up at least a dozen times per day. Every time I use the kettle I use a small amount of electricity, contributing to global warming. It may seem an insignificant amount, but think of the millions switching their kettles on every day, several times daily.

Making these small adjustments during Lent not only reminds you of the significance of this time of year, but it is also a small way of helping our environment. In fact, when the 40 days are up, you may like your new routine so much you decide to stick to it. It probably wasn't that much hardship after all.

IAN DIXON, Grange Street, Clayton-le-Moors.