the various issues involved. The tale that emerges is not very comforting. The article discusses the Nuclear Waste Policy Act passed by Congress in 1982, DOE's poor record in adhering to the stipulations of this law, the technical flaws in OOE's site studies, and DOE's entire history of favoring political expediency over scientifically guaranteed safety in its site search. The article also describes the political, legal, and citizen responses to OOE's process (up through June of.this year), and suggests alternatives to the current DOE program. Unfortunately, no simple and safe alternatives are proposed, because there are no simple and safe solutions to the nuclear waste disposal problem. (Isn't this what the anti-. nuclear movement was saying a decade ago?) The basic recommendation is: ~top and start over. A listing of organizations involved with the nuclear waste issue is also included. -FLS A Guide to Walking Meditation, by Thich Nhat Hanh, 32 pp., $5.95 from: Fellowship of Reconcilation Box 271 Nyack, NY . 10960 At times our lives feel fragmented, juggling time for children, family, work, friends, staying in shape, driving around for meetings and errands, and making time f ~r peace or social change activities. Whew! I often wonder as I attempt to strive for peace in the world how much my inner state reflects peace to the outside world. Down deep I yearn to balance and synthesize "doing" and "being" in· my life. As someone with an abundance of energy, sitting still and meditating is often unnerving. But I love to walk. Nhat Hanh's book, A Guide to Walking M editation, speaks to my soul. It is clearly written, well-translated, and uses evocative Zen-like illustrations. It is stuff you can read in an hour and practice for a lifetime. Nhat Hanh is a leader in the reconciliation movement. Sfoce 1966 he has acted as a spokesperson for reconciliation in Vietnam. This poet and Zen master continues to share Buddhist ideas and values to Western readers through his written works. He also holds reEn~rgy Unbound: A · Fable for America's Future, by L. Hunter Lovins, Amory B. Lovins, and Seth Zuckerman, 1986, 390 pp., $17.95 from: Sierra Club Books 730 Polk Street San Francisco, CA 94109 Common sense is often a good guide. Despite the fact that billions of dollars are spent on nucl~ar reactors, common sense will tell you that this technology .is simply no good. Yet the "experts" continue to insist that more nuclear reactors are needed. We ordinary citizens are assured that energy issues are too complex for us to understand. In this fable, a midwestern housewife, Eunice Bunnyhut, is apppointed Secretary of Energy. She has. a gift for cutting through the technical jargon that befogs the issues, and asking the right questions. As people familiar with the Summer 1986 RAIN Page 43 Lovins' work might suspect, the answers to those questions point to a sustainable energy future. The fictional format provides a way to discuss these important issues substantively, -yet in a way that people without technical training can understand. There's lots of useful information here. Even those who are already persuaded of the wisdom of alternative energy will learn a lot. This kind of discussion is just what's needed if citizens are ever going to wrest control from the "experts;' and restore some semblance of democracy to the .decision-making process. There is a valuable annotated bibliography included for those who would like to explore any of the issues in more depth, or become actively involved in changing things. -Johnny _Stallings Johnny Stallings is active in the Portland Greens. ACCESS: Good ReadingFROM: The Man Who Planted Trees (Illustration by Michael McCurdy) treats at his farm in France, networks amoung refugees, and raises money for child nutrition in the Third World. Walking meditation' is learning to walk with ease and comfort while we pace our step, breathe, and count. It is a poetic system for creating a powerful and peaceful rhythm in our world. -Mimi Maduro The Man Who Planted Trees, by Jean Gi<'.mo, 1985, 52 pp., $13.50 from: Chelsea Green Publishing Company PO Box 283 Chelsea, VT 05038 This story has been published many places, but only in this book will you find the beautiful wood engravings by Michael Mccurdy accompanying the text. It also features an afterword about Jean Giono and his literary career, written especially for this volume. The story is about Elzeard Bouffier, a simple man doing a simple taskplanting 100 acorns a day, day after day, for over thirty years. Due to his perserverance in this simple task, he single-handedly transforms a desolate, windswept valley in southeastern France, decimated by centuries of charcoal burning in the villages, into a lush, forested valley where once- dry stream beds flow with water again, seeds germinate into meadows, and villagers return to build a new life. In our house, we found reading this story aloud to be a .wonderful experience. Get a copy and read it with family and friends. It is an inspiration to all. -FLS
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