© Rodney Dekker / Greenpeace

Top news: Oil spill from cargo ship threatens Mumbai’s coastline; French companies plan to build underwater nuclear power plants; Japan’s nuclear officials held back data about the spread of radioactive contamination; Is Barbie is ready for a new sustainable mansion?

#Oil: In India, an oil spill from a ship tanker off Mumbai’s coast threatens to destroy a batch of mangrove regeneration seeds. The same thing happened in August 2010, when merchant ships MS Chitra and MV Khalija collided at the mouth of Mumbai harbour causing a major oil spill. Despite this earlier accident, it seems that little has been learned. As Greenpeace’s ocean campaigner Ashish Fernande says: “spills will keep happening until the regulatory mechanism is tightened. If the cargo were oil, we would have a disaster on our hands, but this needs to be treated as a warning sign.”

#Nuclear: the French shipbuilding company DCNS is partnering with Areva to build 200 submarine nuclear reactors off the coast of Normandy by 2030. These will be 100 meter long nuclear-tubes lying on the seabed.  “Since the majority of people reject nuclear energy and it is impossible to find a place to build a nuclear plant without facing strong opposition, the French nuclear industry is now coming up with this insane idea" says Greenpeace’s Niklas Schinerl.

#Fukushima:Japanese officials, attempting to avoid responsibility and criticism for their handling of the nuclear emergency created by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, deliberately concealed data models suggesting winds were blowing a radiation cloud directly at the town of Tsushima where residents had gathered. Apparently they were fearful of having to enlarge the evacuation area and admit the true severity of the incident.

#Barbie: after the exposure of her barbaric behaviour, is Barbie trying to turn to the green side? The American Institute of Architects teamed up with Mattel to hold a design competition for a dream house for Barbie in conjunction with the release of the architect version of the doll.

The winning project has been a three-acre sustainable Malibu estate with solar panels, low-flow toilet and sink fixtures, energy-saving light bulbs, operable shading devices, Bamboo flooring, and a rooftop green house and irrigation system (for Barbie's love of nature). Is it the beginning of a new lifestyle for the doll, who was dumped by Ken for her barbaric attitude?  

There are clues that Barbie has admitted she’s got a barbaric deforestation habit, but she isn’t out of the woods yet. We can help change her attitude: ask Mattel to end their purchases from the paper giant APP, and help Barbie get Ken back. We will keep calling for this – literally. Join us in picking up the phone and giving Mattel a call about this issue. (Ken already has!)