Two if by sea. |
About Michael
Journal CategoriesAll CategoriesMonthly ArchivesMay 2008April 2008 March 2008 January 2008 December 2007 May 2007 October 2006 March 2006 January 2006 November 2005 October 2005 September 2005 August 2005 July 2005 June 2005 May 2005 April 2005 March 2005 StatsTotal Entries: 171Total Comments: 224 Most Recent Entry: 05/09/2008 Most Recent Comment: 05/11/2008 |
Who, What, Why...Proafile is a weblog (online journal) focused on green and sustainable boat building, design and use. We appreciate all human and sail powered boats in general and indigenous watercraft such as canoes and kayaks in particular -- with an emphasis on the canoes of the Pacific Islanders. Your EditorProafile is maintained and edited by Michael Schacht. He's an industrial (product) designer/artist who has styled and designed many unsustainably large and luxurious yachts for mass production by large boat manufacturers. He has seen the light and would prefer to be part of the solution rather than part of the problem. My Misspent Youth - I grew up sailing beach cats (Prindles, Hobies, and Sol Cats) so that explains my life long interest in multihulls. Rozinante - In the 90's I designed and built a 26' Pacific proa that looked good but sailed like a dog. I learned some respect on that day. Proafile - I launched Proafile.com back in 1999 to talk about proas and meet others who shared the fixation. It worked a charm - met lots of great people and learned a lot too. Now I'm shunting Proafile onto a new course - sustainability. WhyAs the Pacific Islands submerge beneath the raising seas of petroleum-fueled global climate change, now is a good time to take heed of the lessons that the Islanders can still teach us. Island living, by its very nature, underlines the reality of living in a finite world with finite resources. Not only did the Islanders survive on their limited resources - they thrived - creating societies of openness, cooperation and sharing. It has finally dawned on everyone that we do indeed all live on a small island floating in space called Earth. We are all Islanders. Understanding what that really means is this generations calling, and our greatest challenge. HowSustainability is a path, not a destination -- an idea that can always be improved upon. In that light, all our practices can embrace sustainability and are always becoming "more sustainable".
You're InvitedSince my culture has either forgotten or never knew much about living within nature and/or limits, this idea of sustainability is kind of threatening. But it's a necessary step that I and maybe you are ready to take. Or maybe you've been walking the talk for years, or decades. In any case, you're invited to share what you know, and learn what I learn. Learning about sustainability is also humbling, because cultures like the Navajo, the Inuit, and the Polynesians are much more advanced in its practice than we are. We could be considered primitive in our understanding, and they could be considered advanced and enlightened. It is satisfying to my sense of irony and my sense of fairness that the marginalized peoples of the world in fact hold the keys to the human species' continued survival. Michael Schacht |
The Proa Rozinante - both loved and hated. 1995
Greenland kayak making a nice illustration for sustainability. |