A local university is launching a campaign aimed at encouraging students to shut down their computers at night after discovering that doing so helps reduce carbon dioxide emissions significantly. The findings were made by a group of students at National Chiao Tung University who took a class this year given by senior lecturer Niu Yu-chen on the relationship between ecology and health, according to a statement released by the university on its Web site Tuesday. Based on a calculation formula adopted by the Environmental Protection Administration, the students found that a computer running round the clock consumes 8.6 kilowatt hours of electricity per day, causing a daily carbon dioxide emission of 6 kg, according to the statement. The students then concluded that switching off the computer for six hours every night can help save 56 kWh per month, as well reduce carbon dioxide emissions by nearly 40 kg each month. After a campus survey found that 71 percent of the students at the university are not in the habit of turning off their computers at night, the students further concluded that taking the 7,000 beds in the school's dormitories as an example, if 71 percent of the students living in the dormitories during term- time adopted the practice of switching off at night, they would save more than 2.5 million kWh per year. This would reduce carbon dioxide emissions by nearly 1.79 million kg, the students said, noting that they then initiated a campaign titled 'PC vs. Earth, KO or OK? ' in the hope of raising environmental awareness among other students. 