I can’t even remember the last time we had a really hard rain, but the other day, crossing Park Avenue South at 23rd street, I spotted no less than 4 broken, dirty discarded umbrellas laying in the gutter. It frustrated me because no one is likely to pick them up, and even if they do they’ll probably just be replaced.

Those of us who live in cities know very well the Frustration of the Umbrella: you don’t have one, it starts to rain, you buy a $5 or $8 umbrella from a vendor on the street, only to have it turn completely inside out at the first gust of wind. Then there are those of us who opt to invest in a pricier, sturdier umbrella only to leave it in a cab or at a restaurant. which brings you to the first scenario again. By the time you reach your destination you’re wet, frustrated and $8 lighter. The umbrella no doubt, gets tossed in the trash.

I myself purchased an umbrella for $11 at an H&M on a rainy day in Cambridge, MA. Upon exiting the store i opened it, and snap! snap! Two of the sides came loose, dangerously exposing the sharp, metal spokes to all passers-by. Refusing to add to the umbrella-carnage around me, I marched back to my hotel and stitched the nylon canopy into the spokes using an absurd amount of thread. Since then the plastic handle has come off and been replaced with a wad of duct tape. Do I look crazy? absolutely. But I’m not buying another umbrella until this one is unusable.

I think my next investment will be the Brelli

Dealing with the same frustration in a far more aesthetically pleasant way than I, creator Pamela Zonsius found a way to create, sturdy, sustainable, biodegradable–and of course, beautiful–umbrellas.

Made from bamboo, (a renewable resource) and covered in a patent-pending, clear and 100% biodegradable canopy. It is durable, and strong enough to stand up to heavy winds and rain and the entire object will biodegrade completely within 5 years.

Best of all, the Brelli is made using materials that biodegrade to release only harmless gases, which when harvested in a conditioned landfill can be utilized to generate 90% of the electricity used to create the Brelli in the first place.

For $28, that’s not bad way to stay dry.