The cafeteria was in slight disarray late Wednesday night as first-year student Mark Forsberg ,18, made a grave error, causing many students to sigh, “Ugh, freshmen!”

The tragedy occurred shortly before 7 p.m. after Forsberg, who reportedly was leaving The Cafe in haste because of a paper he “just remembered,” accidentally dumping his orange peels into the slot that, according to many, is clearly marked “paper.”

“It just slipped off my plate and I didn’t have time to grab it,” Forsberg explained in a statement later that night after talking with Campus Security officials. “I still recycled my napkin and scraped my leftover fries into the slot that was marked ‘organic.’”

It was obvious to witnesses, however, that the damage already was done.

“I don’t believe what I just saw!” exclaimed a clearly alarmed sophomore, Mandy Smithson, who was eating near the accident scene. “He didn’t even make an effort!”

Environmental awareness has been encouraged at Loras all year, as each dorm room has been supplied with a bright-blue recycling bin and the napkins in all campus eateries are made from recycled paper. Nonetheless, not all students are catching on to the trend. Many students like Forsberg are having trouble differentiating the four separate slots in The Cafe.

“We take pride in our well-labeled recycling bins, and the labels are usually colorful, too,” said admissions counselor Ken Polanski. “Last year, we were forced to color code the recycling bins in the dorms to blue after the previous ones, which were brown and merely printed with the word ‘recycle,’ were not obvious. We at Loras like to make sure our students understand that we care about the environment.”

Environmentalists across the United States are encouraging the utilization of recycling services, energy-saving activities and other environmental friendly practices. Lauren Spike, a Dubuque environmental attorney, had some alarming statistics to share.

“Over the last century, it is estimated that over 60 trillion trees have died — some to natural causes, but many are cut down for human needs, such as building houses and heat,” she said. “This needs to stop and we need to be careful, because trees are dying.”

Mark Forsberg is not alone in his confusion, though. The complicated receptacles with their small openings and medium-sized labels can cause disarray, and many students hope Loras can find a way to minimize the stress.

“It’s finals. I’m tired. Also, the bins in The Cafe aren’t blue,” said disgruntled junior Sam Cunningham. “Sometimes it can get confusing.”

Meanwhile, Loras is doing its part to reduce energy usage and waste production, but it also is encouraging students to do more. The administration recently has released a list of environmentally friendly ways to help minimize pollution, which Spike noted “is bad” for the Earth’s atmosphere.