This photo is actually from the 2008 oil spill in San Francisco -- but still gets the point across. Photo via cccpublishing.com

The Gulf Coast -- which stretches across the beaches and marshlands of Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas -- has some of the country's most beautiful landscapes, thriving waters, and unique plants. But the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill has put a damper on the region's claim as a summer vacation destination by inspiring health officials to discourage swimm...Read the full story on TreeHugger