Aligning your goals with an already existing organization is a good way to get things started (and not repeating what's already been done). In my case, I started by looking at the environmental master plan for our municipality. From there, I chose a few topics that stood out to me the most.
After doing this initial research, I reached out to the town to find out what the town had already done regarding these topics. During this call, we were also able to discuss which topic would make the most sense for me to pursue.
There are tons of things you could do for the environment and it can get overwhelming if you try to tackle them all at once. This is where constraint comes in. While it may seem weird to narrow down your scope before you even get started, it's important to remember that constraint is an important driver of action and creativity. Below is a great article going over how to leverage the power of constraints.
How To Use Restrictions As A Productivity Tool
In a nutshell, my recommendation is to use your constraints to choose a very specific and tangible cause EARLY ON. You can spend months researching "the best problem" to tackle, but that doesn't fill the gap between knowledge and action. Here is how exactly I used constraints to move things forwards: