My Internship Experience at Ritzy Rescue Ranch

Tess Whalen

During my Sustainability Internship at Ritzy Rescue Ranch, an animal rescue sanctuary, I gained invaluable experience in combining my passion for sustainability with practical communication strategies.  

One of my primary responsibilities was creating sustainability challenges for our clients through Instagram posts. This was a particularly rewarding task because it allowed me to engage with a wide audience in a way that was interactive and fun, yet informative. Each post challenged followers to adopt simple, sustainable habits, such as reducing plastic use or conserving water, and I was able to see firsthand how small actions could inspire larger discussions around environmental responsibility.

To make these challenges meaningful, I spent significant time researching sustainability and climate change. Understanding the science behind these issues was crucial, but equally important was determining how to present this information effectively. This required me to dive deep into different communication strategies and assess which ones resonated best with our audience. I quickly realized that many people are overwhelmed by the scope of environmental problems and are more likely to engage when information is presented in a relatable, solution focused way. My research taught me how to simplify complex topics without losing their significance and helped me develop a stronger sense of what motivates people to take action.  

I also had the opportunity to create documents and design pamphlets that conveyed the research I had gathered. This task pushed me to think critically about both content and design, ensuring that the materials were not only informative but also visually appealing and easy to understand. Additionally, I developed a sustainability landing page on the organization’s website to display this research, making it accessible to a wider audience. I learned how to distill large amounts of information into digestible formats that could be distributed to the public, whether through the sanctuary, website, or at outreach events. Designing these materials helped me develop a more creative approach to problem-solving, as I needed to find ways to balance aesthetics with accuracy and clarity. 

Overall, this internship helped me sharpen my communication skills, particularly in how to effectively convey urgent, complex issues like climate change and sustainability to a general audience. I learned how to use social media as a tool for education and advocacy, and how to create resources that could influence behavioral changes in a positive, impactful way. More importantly, I left the internship with a deeper understanding of how intertwined sustainability is with every aspect of life—whether it's rescuing animals or protecting ecosystems—and how  important it is to engage communities in that conversation. This experience has reinforced my commitment to environmental advocacy and has equipped me with the tools to continue promoting sustainability in creative and meaningful ways.