Ms. Shen obtained her master’s degree in Environmental Studies from the School for Resource and Environmental Studies (SRES), Dalhousie University. Her academic research and professional interests in exploring innovative approaches to organizational sustainability, especially for socially-oriented businesses in local contexts. This study is generated from her master’s thesis, which is supported by Dalhousie University, Canadian Co-operative Association, Government of Nova Scotia, Co-operatives and Mutuals Canada, and the Committee on Co-operative Research (CCR) of International Co-operative Alliance (ICA).