Help plant trees in the Philippines—it's more urgent a situation than you think. Due to climate change, the South China Sea levels are higher than they were just 40 years ago. This puts its islands—particularly the roughly 7,000 islands that make up the Philippines—at greater risk to flooding and mudslides from typhoons such as the four (yes, four) that recently hit the country last October. One solution: Replant lost tree cover since trees help absorb water when tropical storms hit. (The Philippines was once covered by about 95 percent rain forest; a shocking 7 percent remain). One worthy organization tackling the problem is Trees for the Future; their goal is to plant 2.3 million trees in the Philippines this year alone. Peer-to-Peer Match: The Spud will match the first $100 in donations to Trees FTF's Philippines tree planting project. It only takes 10 cents to plant one tree. Donate in any amount directly to Trees FTF, indicate "Philippines" in the comments field, and forward your gift confirmation to thespudorg@gmail.com. We'll match the donations in the order we receive the confirmations, up to the first $100. The match will be completed within 24 hours and we'll forward you the matching gift confirmation. Additionally, we'll donate $1 for each new Facebook fan we receive by midnight Friday. To become a fan, click here. The Spud thanks Ratha Tep for sponsoring this challenge. UPDATE: This challenge has closed.Photo credit: Trees for the Future
