I have found simply attending public consultations does a lot. So few people bother to show up at all, your voice counts for a great deal. You can introduce yourself to key staff people, and sometimes to elected officials too. If you make your case well and present yourself professionally, these people may even remember you, if you later call or write about an issue.
This is particularly effective at the municipal level, so check your city's web site, find out what consultations are planned for the next while, and add them to your calender. If there are no consultations as such, find out if you can attend committee meetings, and if those committees will hear form the public.