Selma Raven, Mary Ng, Anandi Premlall, Francois Piebo, and Oliver Lamb plant a NYS native apple tree, donated to Earth Matter by Gotham Orchards.
[This is excerpted from the graduation speech presented by Earth Matter apprentice Anandi Premlall. Michael Raven was a young volunteer and friend of Earth Matter who tragically died in May 2013 at the age of 21. As an ongoing, perpetual tribute to Michael, Earth Matter is honored to maintain the Raven Orchard at our Center, and we will hold a special Blessing of the Orchard ceremony on Saturday, May 30, 2015.]
By Anandi Premlall
I understood how such a beautiful soul as Michael Raven could not see his own greatness when he was in the downward spiral of depression. Like a tree, he brought pleasure to those around him by simply being. One of my most meaningful apprenticeship projects at Earth Matter NY was acquiring free fruit trees and designing a new chicken orchard on Governors Island (which incorporated Integrated Pest Management as a form a permaculture) dedicated to our beloved classmate.
The Raven Orchard was planted on December 13, 2014, an auspicious day, with Michael’s mom Selma present. Later that evening she wrote: “Thank you so much for today. I have no words to tell you what it means to me. You are an amazing soul. I knew from the first moment I met you, why Mike loved you so, and what this group of people meant to him.”
It is moments like these that are at the heart of why I do what I do, why I pursued the certificate in urban agriculture.