This paper analyzes the opportunities open to new interdisciplinary environmental majors to uncover best practices which can help connect scholars and their institutions with one another and with their surrounding communities. The research seeks to discover how interdisciplinary environmental programs can help expand dialogue between disciplines and how such programs can be used to develop successful community outreach focused on important environmental issues. The paper evaluates ten programs to synthesize concepts about community engagement and inter-disciplinary collaboration. The research elaborates network theory to help explain the abilities of well-developed environmental programs to create avenues of communication and a means of pro-actively addressing environmental issues at local, regional, and national levels. The research suggests that, through collaborative networks, students and scholars can effectively promote useful research by listening to the needs of the community, which also enhances the abilities of all stakeholders to participate in problem solving regarding a host of environmental issues, thus providing support for scholars, creating promising opportunities for students, and developing positive benefits for communities.