List of SKIPpers and PEPpers

I'm Mike Haasl.  I've been pursuing PEP for two years.  I'm aiming to get to PEP2.  My primary goal is to be a guinea pig for PEP to find problems with BBs or badges and influence the program to work better.  I am not looking to inherit property since I currently live on a delightful place in a great location.  I would happily accept fiscal bequeaths that would help me to "stay on the land".  

Here are a couple BBs I'm proud of:
Honor system food stand
Start a community garden
Grow 100,000 calories

Hi! I'm Ashley Cottonwood!



I'm BB60 looking to be PEP1 certified by the end of 2022. My goal is to be PEP2 certified by the end of 2025. My primary goal is homesteading and regenerative agriculture. My dream is to develop/create/establish a permaculture/biodynamic demonstration site. I currently run a small organic market garden, a small scale poultry operation, and a composting program. I would like to no longer have a "day job" and pursue market gardening, animal husbandry, and homesteading full-time. My day job and and farming pursuits take about 50:50 of my time currently.

I live in British Columbia. I would ideally like to stay in the Kootenay area. I'm 30 years old, have a husband who is the "builder" to my "gardener", and currently no children.  We own 1/2 acre of land, and I rent another 5 acres for my business, and help manage another 5 acres belonging to my sister. I specialize in poultry but also have experience raising hogs. I'm passionate about gardening and animal husbandry. My husband has general carpentry and mechanical skills. I have a background in Biochemistry & Health Sciences, I worked for Agriculture Canada for 4 years, and have my PDC.

We would be open to moving onto a property to work alongside our Otis.

Here is a link to my visual story on Instagram : Valley Vitals

Here is a link to my Permies Blog : Ashley Cottonwood's SKIP & Homesteading Blog

I'm Opalyn.  I submitted my first BB a year ago after an unsuccessful search for land of my own.  This summer, I attended several events at Wheaton Labs where I completed PEP1 and all 22 sand badges.  My next goal is to earn PEP2 and help build the PEP program, particularly in textiles.  I've been studying rocket mass heaters and will be returning to Wheaton Labs for the Jamboree this fall.  I've also been learning a lot about biodynamic and regenerative systems  - particularly from Helen Atthowe and Alan Booker.  I hope to inherit land or other assets that could help me create a truly abundant food forest and demonstration site.

Here is my PEP1 Adventure including all the Badge Bits (BBs) I earned while completing all 22 Sand Badges.  Here is my PEP2 journey.

For the past decade, I've stewarded 120 acres of mixed conifer forest and co-managed a natural burial cemetery in the Columbia Gorge Area.  I have a natural science degree and a Business Management and Accounting degree and put them both to use for the cemetery.  I have also studied permaculture with Geogff Lawton and Alan Booker.

Ideally, I would like to stay in the greater Pacific Northwest but I'm open to relocating for the right opportunity.

Hello, I’m Edward. I’m new to permaculture and permies, discovering both in 2021. I have just finished BB60. It only took me six weeks because many of the skills I have been practicing for decades. I did learn a whole bunch of new skills though, finding some big holes in my knowledge. I will be advancing as many badges as I can. I now want work on PEP1 finishing before the end of 2023. If I can buy a property with some land I will advance to PEP2 in 2024. I maybe able to accelerate this time line with an onsite PDC - I’m currently studying for a PDC but it’s only online.

I’m an expat Brit in my early fifties and have been a stay at home Dad for my two boys who are now both teenagers. I’m also a trailing husband - so I go where my wife goes for work which included London, Singapore and now the USA. She is workaholic, likes her job and is well rewarded. Her job is not secure. She’s on a temporary work visa and has lost her job in the past.

We intend to move to Canada in five years where we have family, including my eldest son who is studying at UBC. My ultimate goal is to have a big enough piece of land that I can use my permaculture skills to provide all our needs - food, shelter, energy, water. I could provide financial support through crafts and consulting.  This will let her choose what to do next without having to worry about the money.

I have a deep down need to support my family with good food, a good place to live and thrive. In an ideal world, I would like to restore a homestead or regenerate some land an hour or two north of Toronto, near Georgian Bay. Too many of the pioneer farms have been cleared for property developers and second homes.

I would happily accept land or financial support to aquire land and in return, build a permaculture hub and one day becoming an Otis.

I am in the process of starting a permaculture blog charting my progress and sharing ideas.

I'm Luke, a young proto-farmer living in Wales in the UK. My partner, my dog and I are in the final stage of buying 16 acres of land to establish a small-holding. We hope to grow a range of fruit and vegetables in polyculture, restore 7 acres of overstood coppice, graze a small number of livestock animals and establish a wildflower meadow.

I have been passionate about sustainable living, agriculture and permaculture since my late teens (I'm 29 now, for context). Whilst I've not had much land to practice in earnest, I've improved the gardens of every house that I've lived in: planting herbs, improving soil and managing for wildlife. I also strive to re-use, repair, upcycle and make as many things as possible.

Whilst I was at university I helped to run a food co-operative to bulk buy and distribute sustainable food, which was recognised and awarded by the city as part of an EU initiative. I also repaired bicycles with the Bristol Bike Project, grew food with Grow Wilder (formerly Feed Bristol) and stewarded a few climate marches when I lived there.

I spent 18 months travelling through India, Nepal, Malaysia, Thailand and Japan. During this time we stayed on permaculture and intentional community projects, lending a hand and acquiring skills. Some of the tasks that stand out are building a bamboo polytunnel, plastering with lime-cob, propagating bananas and building a school garden on a steep mountainside.

I'm now living in South Wales, on a steep-sided valley with a tiny garden. We have a pollinator garden in which we are remediating the soil, which was paper thin when we arrived. The garden is full of perennial vegetables, medicinal and insect-friendly plants. It positively vibrates in the summer!

In my spare time I restore old tools (axes being my current favourite) and make leather sheaths for them. I also make things using wood: bird house, cutlery, furniture, bike shelters, wood stores. I love plants and I'm becoming an expert in the local flora, learning to identify each new flower and plant as they arrive each spring.

We forage as much food as possible and partially heat our home with a log burner. I gather and process logs, throughout the year, from felled trees near the house, all by hand without fossil fuels.

For work, I create websites and web applications from home. I'm hoping to taper this when we can spend time on some land and, eventually, to give it up altogether. A familiarity with computers and technology is undoubtedly very valuable, however, and I doubt I'll ever be without at least one digital project (e.g. the Vintage Kilner Jar encyclopedia).

I'm L. I live in Japan and do a huge number of the things in the PEP program regularly in my life. I'm so busy working, raising kids and doing those PEPpy kind of things that I rarely have time to document them. But eventually I'll snap pictures of most of them. Though the deeds aren't in my name I am a sort of steward of my family's land here. It is not expansive though. In the future if I had an opportunity to get more or better land I would strongly consider it. I'm trying to learn the conventional and traditional ways things are done here in terms of agriculture, gardening, forestry, and building. A lot of that does not align with PEP but could become something like Permaculture Experience in Japan.

Moving back to my home country in the USA is an unlikely future possibility.

I am also interested in putting together green woodworking and traditional Japanese craft workshops or perhaps Permaculture retreats in Japan. If you are interesting in supporting me or any of these endeavors I'd be happy to get in touch to work out details.

Howdy! I'm working through the PEP program because it looks like a useful list of skills to know and learn. It might be a while before I am able to test myself in all the areas. I'm living on 1 acre right now. That's plenty for me to practice and make my mistakes. It seems right now that perhaps 20 acres is enough to fulfill my dream, even if that dream is still forming.
I live in the south eastern US and I have lots of reasons to stay in this area.

Hi, I don't know if it's right for me to write a post here about me ... I'm a Dutch Permie, living in the Netherlands. I'm not good at counting time/years, so I don't know how many years I'm active here on the Permies forum. Since I discovered SKIP/PEP I liked it ... But not to inherit property.
Maybe if I were half my age, I would like to inherit land (in the eastern part of the Netherlands). But I am 65, almost 66 now! And inheriting land in the Netherlands is almost impossible anyway.
What I would like is to find more Permies in my region. There are more permaculture-interested people here (in and around Meppel, the town I live in), but as far as I know none of them is on the Permies forum, even thought I tell about it now and then.
btw I'm one of the BB60 people, and there are more of them now then when this thread was started ...

Hello! My name is James Rhodes, I recently discovered the SKIP process and fell in love with not only the idea, but also the concept of developing and building useful skills. I started with the goal of knocking out 1 BB a day, and before long I earned my BB60! Through this process, I have learned so much, and am currently working on my PEP1 Certification, although I am currently working through limitations in order to meet them! I will get there!

A bit about myself, I am originally from North Carolina, currently living in Colorado. I fell in love with the Rockies and am very proud to call this place home. I am 34 and a proud dog dad to my massive Rottweiler, Goose. I also date the most amazing woman who shares the same goals and ideas as me, which is rare to find these days. Our ultimate goal is to find some land somewhere in the Midwest/Rockies, we are VERY open to many different states to include Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Arizona, and New Mexico. We are just currently figuring out where life is going to take us on this journey. Our goal includes owning enough land to grow, produce, and maintain a ick free lifestyle, growing/hunting/foraging our own food, and working to better the land we live on.

The OTIS concept really spoke to me, as I do not think children will be a part of my life, I one day will probably be an OTIS myself, looking for a worthy successor to pass down a piece of land/homestead I care for. I would be so honored and grateful to one day inherit property or to receive financial support to assist in making that dream come true. I am so happy to be part of this process and share this journey with each of you!  

SKIP questions:
-Why are we doing PEP- To build a resilient, ick free lifestyle. To learn and grow as a person who seeks to enhance nature around them and to use permaculture values to build a better life for myself and family, with the ultimate goal of sharing these values with the wider world.

-Are you looking for property?- Yes. Most definitely.

-Where would that property need to be in order for you to be happy? In a perfect world, it would be in Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, or Idaho. However states on the east coast like Tennessee and Florida are options, along with Texas. We are not very picky to be honest.

- Size of property, etc?- Just large enough to be comfortable on. Run grass fed, paddock shifted livestock. Acreage to hunt and forage on would be great, but not a deal breaker.

Hi, this might not be the best place to post this comment, but What exactly is skip? And pep? I have no idea what either of those are.

Rachel Elijah wrote:Hi, this might not be the best place to post this comment, but What exactly is skip? And pep? I have no idea what either of those are.

Hi Rachel. You can find the answer to these questions on this forum (Permies) ...

Here's a bit more info: SKIP

Thank you, sounds like a wonderful program! My family and I could already qualify for many badges, lol. We have our own small homestead, but no inheritance from any parents on either side. Both my husband's father's are dead, not leaving really anything to us. We bought our property ourselves and learned all our skills ourselves.

Rachel Elijah wrote:Thank you, sounds like a wonderful program! My family and I could already qualify for many badges, lol. We have our own small homestead, but no inheritance from any parents on either side. Both my husband's father's are dead, not leaving really anything to us. We bought our property ourselves and learned all our skills ourselves.

It's kind of fun, even if you're like me and have no real intention of completing PEP to inherit land. Some of the skills I already have. Some I have but aren't up to Paul's standards. Some are completely new to me. It gives me a bit of encouragement to get some things done and checked off my long to-do lists. And recognition is nice.

Okay, how would I get started? And does stuff my husband do count towards badges, or is it just me doing all? Because I can learn to sow, but my husband does things like welding, meat processing, and fence building and repair already. I already know how to ferment, can, feed and care for animals, grow and mix feed for chickens, and especially livestock. I have milked cows who have never been handled before, cared for chickens, dogs, cats, sheep and calves, donkeys. We know how to use electric fencing and rotational grazing. My husband can take any livestock animal from hoof to freezer - including properly killing, dressing, butchering. He also has castrated a bull. We both have gardened and planted fruit trees, my husband has sown grass for fields, built swales, dug and lined a pond. He has built a water irrigation system for 3 acres of property(digging ditches and using PVC pipe from well to swales for ultimate gardening.)He has built at least two houses with his dad(a building official who used to have a construction business), our storage building built himself, and is currently building our well house by hand with wood and concrete. He's worked with concrete, siding, and just about everything you can think of regarding building a shelter. And a lot of it no one taught us. All in the last two years! I can hardly believe it just writing it, since we were both raised as city kids. Oh, and we have a family and my husband has a full time job. Can some of those things be put towards badges? These things are just life for us- they are not a fun challenge, even though some of them look very fun. Let me know!

That link above leads to all the answers to your questions.  But to quickly summarize, you can only submit things YOU do, your husband would have to submit them under his own account.  Past projects can count for BBs as long as you happen to have the required photos/video and they meet the requirements.

Hi Rachel!  

You can follow this link to the "PEP"  page.    https://permies.com/f/178/

At the top is a list of blue links, and you can go to the '22 PEP badges' to the see the list of badges, and each will spell out to you the different "Badge Bits" (BB) you need to complete to earn the badge.   Each Badge Bit (BB) will be a link that introduces the badge bit,  and gives you the list of what you must photo/video/document to complete it.   You'll post the requirements right there under the BB description when you've done them, and click the "submit" button.   Then wait for approval for your spiffy new BB.  

Each badge has a fun "air badge" you can collect when you do your first BB,  as a placeholder to show what you've started.   It shows up on your profile and your posts!  Super fun.   You can also scroll through and see previous approved (or not) badge bit submissions from others to help you understand what is needed.  Very helpful!  

While this isn't specifically an Otis/PEP situation, someone may be interested in this land opportunity: https://permies.com/t/205254/experiences/Older-fella-replace#1708545

Hi ! I'm Raphael, living in Canada, Quebec, gaspesie. I'm one of the BB60 and pursuing PEP1 for summer 2023 and PEP2 for the end of 2025-26. I'm not looking for property, skip program is for me more of a personal challenge and exchange and discovery with the others members who have value close to mines. Also i'm living within walking distance of a project of permaculture school, so it's a good set of projects to show and talk about and a good business card sometimes.

I'm maybe looking to be an otis on the long run or at else a location to do bb.

I'm very proud of my BB from my root cellars here. Will probaby take time to show a little bit of my straw ball home too for another oddball badge.

Hi, I'm Nikki, and I'm a stay-at-home mom to an amazing 2-year-old daughter. My husband inherited a bit of family land in the southeastern US, and I'm using PEP/SKIP to learn how to steward and improve our land, to learn traditional skills that I can teach our daughter, and to live a cleaner, healthier, and more connected lifestyle. My favorite homestead tasks are gardening and baking from scratch, and I'm currently studying herbalism.

While I don't need land, I could use help in other areas, such as from an Otis/Otessa who needs to downsize and wishes to give away their homestead belongings. If it helps, I have a registry on SoKind with my homestead wishlist. It's mostly to remind myself of my next goals, but it seems like a good fit here: https://sokindregistry.org/20478. The list is by no means exhaustive, as I've often learned that I don't know what I need until I have it.

Thanks for anyone who is considering me!

Hello! This is Emily of Emily and Tony who spent that first winter in the tipi with the rocket mass heater at Wheaton Labs. After working on a couple dozen farms, running our own operations (market garden, pastured poultry and pigs), countless projects, books read, we still want to start a regenerative permaculture farm more than anything else in the world somewhere in western Montana. But with 3 little kids the going is slow. Probably won't have time to get any PEP certifications but somehow we'll find a place to do our permaculture thing.

Rachel Elijah wrote:Hi, this might not be the best place to post this comment, but What exactly is skip? And pep? I have no idea what either of those are.

Rachel - where do you live?

Hi!  Tina here.  I started working on my badges in November of 2023 and have reached BB60. I would have started sooner but I was starting my own business (have to make a living). My history and experience includes computer programming, report writing, keeping bees, permaculture design, irrigation, landscaping, landscape lighting, selling, drainage, DIY, volunteering and giving workshops.
I changed careers a while ago from computer programming to permaculture design, landscaping, irrigation, landscape lighting and drainage to make a living I enjoyed that would allow me to work outside.  I've learned many things during that conversion and want to continue learning to care for my own property.  

I plan to get to PEP1 in the next year or so. I also plan to be at the 2024 SKIP event! I'll be asking Paul for a free ticket and helping others work on their BBs.

My interest in the SKIP program is knowledge to run my own property in a permaculture way. I also feel more secure having many different skills. I currently fix my own automobiles, repair equipment, maintain equipment, have my own company and more.
It will be fun to super charge my BB earnings and meet everyone this summer!

Hi, all. I finally reached BB60. I hope to continue learning new skills as I take on more BBs.

My family lives in the Midwest (St. Louis, MO region) on a small city lot (less than .2 acres). We garden in our front yard using raised beds since the back is too small and a tree gives a lot of shade. We also grow native flowers and plants to help attract pollinators. As to paying work, I do part-time accounting, landscaping, and handiwork. My wife has been homeschooling our children (five in total) for several years, and they participate in many activities throughout the school year. We hope to have more land someday to continue on the permaculture/homesteading path, but we may be unable to obtain the land on our own. Over the last few years, I have been of the mindset to live as if we will never move, so I try to make the best of the space we have. If we get property elsewhere, I hope we can be near like-minded families especially those of similar faith backgrounds, and we hope to stay somewhat close to where we are now since we have family in the area. It has been a joy to be part of this online forum, and I hope to continue to learn from other permies during the coming months and years.

Hello to all you awesome SKIPpers and PEPpers (and PEMers), are you struggling to get the hard Montanaish BBs done?  There's a super cheap sale this weekend for the 2024 summer SKIP event.  Check it out Here.  There might be an even better deal if you're at or past BB60...

Come join the youtube live!

We will get starter in a few min.  10 AM MT
https://www.youtube.com/live/M_J9QSS97eI

You can ask questions about S.K.I.P.
visit with Paul and our wonderful S.K.I.P. instructors!  

Come celebrate with us and have some fun!

Hey, there is a deal for folks with BB60 or above.  The 2024 SKIP event is FREE if you ask in the thread and help us instructors out a bit to help pay for your beans.

Ask in this thread: https://permies.com/wiki/40/256154/Freaky-Cheap-Tickets-SKIP-Event#2399489

Mike Haasl wrote:Hey, there is a deal for folks with BB60 or above.  The 2024 SKIP event is FREE if you ask in the thread and help us instructors out a bit to help pay for your beans.

Ask in this thread: https://permies.com/wiki/40/256154/Freaky-Cheap-Tickets-SKIP-Event#2399489

A critical piece of information is that the folks with BB60 or above need to ask while the SKIP Event Blitz is going on...until Monday, May 27th, noon mountain time.