Walking

Evanston’s Exciting Bucket List

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When we recently were asked to contribute to a Bucket List for our hometown Evanston, IL, it did not take us long to figure out what to write about.

Check out the recent Redfin article we were featured in: According to Elisabeth Hubbard of funflector, “As a Swede, I love to meet friends for a refreshing walk followed by “fika” (coffee, pastry/sandwich, and interesting conversations), and for that, Evanston is the most perfect place! With so many parks and tree-lined streets, it’s nice to walk almost everywhere, but our favorite is along Lake Michigan, north of Lee Street, as the colors of the lake and sky never look the same from one day to another. For fika, we love Newport on Davis for their authentic Swedish cardamon buns, Evanston Pour on Dempster for the cosmopolitan atmosphere, and Cupitol on Grove St. for the ultimate hygge experience.”  (Those of you who have followed us here for some time, should not be surprised that it had to do with walking and drinking coffee 😂.)

Evanston’s exciting bucket list is a team effort by Redfin and other Evanston small business owners and there are quite a few gems to discover! Find the whole list here: Beyond Chicago: Embarking on Evanston’s Exciting Bucket List

Should be on everyone's bucket list: Fika with friends, cardamom buns and coffee at Newport in Evanston IL
Should be on everyone’s bucket list: Fika with friends, cardamon buns and coffee at Newport in Evanston IL

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We Have Moved to Evanston!

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We’ve moved to Evanston! At the end of last year, we left Libertyville to be closer to the city and are now settling in on the North Shore in beautiful Evanston. Chicago is just a block to the south and the Lake Michigan beaches are a 15 minute walk to the east. It’s amazingly walkable and bikeable with frequent public transportation just around the corner. We can’t wait for spring, so we can explore in more pleasant temperatures.

Welcome to the City of Evanston sign
Welcome to the City of Evanston!

The city of Evanston is technically a suburb, but has a very urban feel due to its density. With the lake on one side, Chicago to the south and Skokie and Wilmette west and north, there is no room for suburban sprawl and oversized roads. On top of that, Evanston was ahead of the crowd and embraced transit-oriented development, TOD, already in the 80’s. This means increased density around transit hubs paired with decreased need for cars. This Politico Article from 2015 explains it quite thoroughly. For more background info on why this was a good move, check out Strongtowns or “Not Just Bikes“.

According the the census bureau, Evanston has a population of 78,000 on 7.8 square miles. We are looking forward to connect with our new neighbors and local businesses once the pandemic has calmed down and warmer weather makes it easier to hang out outdoors.

Impressions from the South End of Evanston

Biking on the Evanston side of Howard Street.
Biking on the Evanston side of Howard Street (before the snow arrived). On the other side is Chicago. Traffic is moving slowly enough that it feels ok to bike although we would of course prefer protected bike lanes. Needless to say: A large stash of safety reflectors came in handy!

The other day, we took a walk in the very south end of Evanston. The vintage houses are relatively small and mixed with 3-story apartment buildings which gives the neighborhood a down-to-earth and intimate feel. Below are some highlights from a cold but sunny afternoon earlier this week.

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We Have Moved to Evanston! Read More »

Walk & Run On the Left Side!

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We drive and bike on the right side of the road. But did you know that on roads without sidewalks, it is safer to walk on the left side? That way you are facing the oncoming traffic and are more aware of potentially dangerous situations. It is quite obvious when you think about it, but it seems like most people have never been told.

(If you are in Britain, Australia or any other country where you drive on the left, just reverse the whole picture and walk on the right.)

The road below is the last stretch of my bike route to work and I keep looking over my shoulder the whole time. …

Walk & Run On the Left Side!Read More »

Walk & Run On the Left Side! Read More »

Streets Alive!

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We can’t wait for Sunday and the Streets Alive Festival in Evanston IL! Last year, we had a great time at the Green Living Festival in Evanston, but the idea of combining the two festivals is totally awesome!

We’ll be there with America’s premier reflectors for walking, running and bicycling and with information on how you can use reflectors for marketing your brand to touch hearts and save lives 🙂

The Streets Alive + Green Living Festival takes place on Main Street in Evanston, IL this coming Sunday, September 13th, 1-6 PM. A map of all the activities can be found on the festival’s website.  Please look for the black funflector canopy  in the Green Living Festival section between Ridge and Ashbury and stop by for some treats!

The funflector booth at the Evanston Green Living Festival 2014.
The funflector booth at the Evanston Green Living Festival 2014. This year we’ll have space for our full booth 🙂

We believe that making “green choices” is important for all people on earth, and having the choice of walking/biking instead of driving is part of that. However, walkable neighborhoods do a lot of good to people in terms of general health and building a sense of community. The philosophy of the Streets Alive is right up our alley: “Streets Alive also encourages the community to collectively reimagine and repurpose our precious public spaces. Although car-free streets are temporary, they help us visualize different ways to use these spaces, and they demonstrate the pent-up demand for permanently safe, complete streets and vibrant, people-oriented open spaces.”

Looking forward seeing you there!

The funflector team

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Beethoven was Right About Walking!

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For a long time, we’ve been fascinated with creativity. What is it? How can we get better at “being creative”? How do we encourage and inspire others to explore their creativity – employees, kids and others? Is creativity something you are born with or can you learn it?

The Creative Habit by Twyla Tharp
The Creative Habit by Twyla Tharp

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Beethoven was Right About Walking!Read More »

Beethoven was Right About Walking! Read More »

From Summer to Fall

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September has swished by with vendor shows, equinox, some days of cool weather and now, what a Swede would call, summer weather. However, the warm Chicago days are numbered and October is already knocking on our door. After a very busy week with our first in-house pedestrian reflector manufacturing, YAY!!!!! (proudly Made in USA), and Evanston Green festival, Sunday was a day for enjoying the outdoors. We had fun picking out fall pumpkins and taking a leisurely  stroll through the Rollins Savanna Forest Preserve.

Summer and fall at the same time in Lake County, IL. Rollins Savanna Forest Preserve and a black swan gourd.
Summer and fall at the same time in Lake County, IL. Rollins Savanna Forest Preserve and a black swan gourd.

Our combined booth for funflector and Norwex at the Evanston Green Festival, September 2014
Our combined booth for funflector and Norwex at the Evanston Green Festival, September 2014

Let’s go back for a moment to equinox, which occurred a week ago, when day and night were equally long. From then and until March 20th, there will be more dark than light hours each day. In Chicago and New York, we are right now losing 17 minutes of daylight a week, in Miami 9 and in Seattle 23. You can look up your city at timeanddate.com/astronomy/  (Put in your city in the upper left, under the headline “Sun”).
Soon, if not already, you might go to or from work, run your errands, walk your dog or get kids to and from activities during the twilight or dark time of the day. If you drive, you know how hard it is to see pedestrians in the dark and it is not surprising that 70% of pedestrian accidents happens while the sun is gone. Luckily, it is cheap, fun and easy to make yourself visible with our funflector® safety reflectors. Goto our webshop and pick out some for yourself and your loved ones. We offer free shipping for orders over $9 to the US and Canada!
We are looking forward to October and are dreaming of apple pies, cosy sweaters, big mugs of hot tea, rosy cheeks, frosty red leaves and of course the crown jewel of the month: a spooky and scary but safe Halloween!
“I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.” ― L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables
Elisabeth

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Walking

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Every day, more people discover walking as an easy way to get moving. Did you know that
– 30 minutes of daily walking lowers the risk for diabetes, heart attacks, stroke, cancer and much more.
– Kids walking to school perform better than when getting rides.
– Home prices in walkable neighborhoods increase faster than others.
– Commerce flourish where people walk.
There are an overwhelming amount of information on the benefits of walking for you as an individual and for society.  The two videos below condense the information very well and explain why you need to walk and how it all is interlaced:
“The benefits of walking are so good, they are hard to believe”. Listen to Kaiser Permanente Chairman and CEO George C. Halvorson explain the benefits of walking in a 6 minute video.

Urbanist Jeff Speck explains in his TED talk “how America can be more economically resilient, how America can be healthier and how America can be more environmentally sustainable”. You’ll be surprised about how a walkable infrastructure improves health, quality of life and the local economy and how it is all correlated!

Jeff mentions that Portland, Oregon is far ahead of other cities in the US on planning around people, but there is activities in many places. Learn about what’s going on in  Oklahoma City, New York, Dallas and Chicago and more generally with redevelopment of urban centers.
As mentioned in the intro, kids who walk to school perform better than when getting rides. Here are the results of some studies:
– Let kids walk to school by University of Buffalo medical school and
– Exercise before school improves concentration in the class room, a joint study by researchers at the universities in Copenhagen and Aarhus in Denmark, also reported by the Atlantic Cities.
– Check out these fascinating MRI scans by the University of Illinois of kids’ brains after sitting still and walking for 20 minutes respectively!
If your kid’s school doesn’t have a walk-to-school program, consider organizing one!
Walking is good, however, when dusk comes around, the risk of fatal pedestrian-vehicle accidents increases significantly. In the Scandinavian countries, pedestrian reflectors have saved lives for over 40 year. If you are looking for thoughtful and useful giveaways, check out our American-made logo reflectors! Together we can make a difference and we hope you want to join us.
The funflector team

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Take a Walk

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We got one warm day with pouring rain and now the temperature is heading south again. At subzero temperatures (Farenheit), sitting inside reading and pinning about walking feels healthier than going out for a walk. New to me is ChiWalking, walking with mixed in elements from Tai Chi, yoga and Pilates, which I will have to try. I also found a lot of interesting research on the benefits of walking that I thought I’d share with you:

Winter walk with sled and kid
Winter walks are fun with good gear (including safety reflectors). Just remember to check temperature and wind chill first.


Here are eight good reasons to start walking as summarized by CNN:
1. A brisk 30 minute walk is good for your heart.
2. Walking lowers breast-cancer risks
3. An afternoon walk helps you sleep better
4. ChiWalking can reduce aches and pains.
5. Walking makes you happy because your body produces more endorphins.
6. Walking keeps you slimmer
7. Walking helps ward off Alzheimer’s disease
8. Walking makes your bones stronger
If you are a man and want to lower your lifetime medical bills: start walking! Extreme Longevity reports on a Japanese study that shows that even if walker live longer, they spend less on medical care. Women walkers also live longer, but don’t necessarily save on medical care during their life time.
You have a good reason to worry when an elderly friend or relative slows down their walking speed. Walking speed has shown to be a good indicator of life expectancy independent on age, race and height.

Kids need to get moving on weekends as well as on school days to learn and to be able to focus.
Kids need to get moving on weekends as well as on school days to learn and to be able to focus.


Walking is not only good for living long and healthy, walking also helps learning while you are young. If your kid’s school doesn’t have a walk-to-school program, you should start organizing one. A Danish study (in English here) found that students who walk to school learn and concentrate better that those who go by bus or car. In addition, walking keeps the air around schools fresher than cars.
Exercising is all about making it a habit. It takes some work to make it a habit, but after a while you notice how good it makes you feel and you’ll miss it when you don’t do it. In summary, it is pretty simple: Open the door and get out. Start slow and short and build up. Get a good pair of shoes. And don’t forget pedestrian reflectors if you get back after dusk. Here are some resources with more details on how to get started:
The Mayo Clinic walking advice
The Walking Site


Elisabeth

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