Among the more interesting news stories published by this newspaper recently was of a returned resident who has chosen to clean up her environs in St Thomas.

We are told that Ms Michelle Jones, a 47-year-old retired United States Navy sailor, has been clearing and tidying overgrown road sides, verges, drains, and public spaces with a weed whacker (trimmer) as her main tool. That’s all because of a sense of civic duty and an intense desire to keep her community, parish, and country “beautiful”.

As she explained to our reporter: “I just want to see St Thomas looking good, and I want it to be safe. I want the gutters to be clean and nice… That is my thing.”

Unsurprisingly, her actions have attracted the curiosity of locals, most of whom are unaccustomed to such behaviour.

While there are those (including on social media) who applaud her actions, we hear that some people are openly critical.

The critics, she tells us, ask: “Are you getting money?”

When she replies in the negative they “get upset, like, ‘Oh, the Government should be doing this.’ ”

We can only applaud Ms Jones’ complete rejection of that latter assertion. Said she: “ ‘If we keep saying that, then the place going to stay the same. There’s only so much … Government can really do…’ So I said, ‘Let’s start!’ It has to start from one person, nuh true?”

Her philosophy fits neatly with a position this newspaper has consistently advocated: That people at all levels must be prepared and motivated to help themselves, their neighbours, their communities without waiting for others.

Ms Jones is encouraging community groups across Jamaica to become more involved and to come together to keep their surroundings clean. She should know that by her wonderful example she is already doing that.

“It’s… our job to keep Jamaica clean,” she said.

That agreed, designated authorities must lead the way.

To that end, Ms Jones is beseeching those in charge to do simple things, such as providing adequate garbage receptacles and proactively encouraging people to “throw your garbage into these receptacles, bring [it] home if you have to, and dispose of [it] properly, because [garbage] clog drains. [It’s] not good for the environment,” and will lead to dangerous flooding when the drains are blocked.

Her plea to Jamaicans that, “On days you’re not working, like on a Sunday or so, come out with your little group and clean up your community,” should be taken as gospel.

It seems to us that Ms Jones’ comments also capture an underlying need for leadership training at grass roots level and comprehensive organisation of our communities to encourage efficient self-help, civic pride, and social cohesion.

In well-led, properly functioning, organised communities residents wouldn’t be wondering why Ms Jones is cleaning up her community. They would be doing similarly as a matter of course.

Also, in the aftermath of Category 5 Hurricane Melissa, the immediate response in many hard-hit communities of western Jamaica would have been much more effective had more residents been trained, even only minimally, as well as socialised and conditioned to deal with a disaster of that scale.

We believe that comprehensive, intentional, proactive community organisation across Jamaica should be central to good governance in pursuance of an orderly society.