In 2009, the UvA was the first university in the Netherlands to open a CO2 emissions-free computer room. A combination of conservation and alternative energy generation are being used to keep this study space climate neutral. Energy consumption in the computer room - the largest at the UvA, with 250 computers - has been halved through the use of low-energy striplights and energy-saving computer settings. The remaining energy is to be provided by the wind turbines planned at Science Park Amsterdam and solar panels at Roeterseiland, thereby ultimately reducing the room's CO2 emissions to zero.
It was Ewoud de Kok, a student of Econometrics at the UvA (and winner of the Faculty of Economics and Business's 2007 competition for The best idea at the faculty), who first came up with the idea for the CO2-neutral computer room. Having successfully gained enthusiastic backing from the Executive Board, De Kok put his plan into action with help from fellow students Gijs van der Poel, Joeri Baas and Just Dengerink.