Justin Herbert Brande (1917–2000) was a conservationist and a farmer. Brande was the son of noted writer Dorothea Brande. He led conservation efforts in Vermont to promote organic agriculture and protect natural resources that spanned several decades. Early life and education Brande was born to Dorothea Brande and Herbert Brande in Chicago, Illinois on May 30, 1917. He graduated from the Morristown School (now Morristown-Beard School) in Morristown, New Jersey in 1935. During his studies at the school, Brande played for the ice hockey team. As a junior, Brande played on the 1933-1934 Morristown School hockey team that went on an overseas tour of Europe; the team played games against Germany, France, and Switzerland. They received a personal message of good luck in a telegram from President Franklin Roosevelt. During Brande's senior year, his Morristown School hockey team won the 1935 championship title for the New Jersey Prep School Hockey League. They defeated Montclair Academy (now Montclair Kimberley Academy) by a score of 8-2 at Hobey Baker Memorial Rink at Princeton University in Princeton, New Jersey. Brande completed his bachelor's degree in philosophy at Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts. He later earned a master's degree in resource economics from the University of Vermont in Burlington, Vermont in 1975. After his graduate studies, Brande taught at the university's environmental studies department until 1985. Leadership in conservation and organic agriculture Brande helped start several organizations in Vermont to facilitate conservation and sustainable agriculture. In 1963, he co-founded the Vermont Natural Resources Council with Dick Brett, Jim Martin, and Perry Merrill. At the Council's first annual meeting, Brande took on the role of chair. After the Council formed a board of directors in 1965, he served as a board member; four years later, he served as the Council's first executive director. During the 1990s, Brande co-founded the Smallholders Association with Morris Earle to advocate for sustainable farms and businesses. He also organized a conservation commission in Cornwall, Vermont during the 1970s. During the 1950s, Brande invited organic farming pioneer Lady Eve Balfour to speak at Middlebury Grange Hall in Middlebury, Vermont. He then organized regional conventions for organic farming that influenced the establishment of the Northeast Organic Farming Association. Brande later helped establish the Lake Champlain Committee, which supports protection of the lake and its surrounding region. During the 1960s, he then served as coordinator of the committee's activities. He also served as