As a volunteer working on civil rights and anti-poverty issues in Harlem in the 1960s, Marlin transformed her daytime job as a securities analyst on Wall Street into a full time do-gooding career. She knew that some investors have deep social concerns, especially involving the continued war efforts in Vietnam. She thought that there was a demand for information on corporations other than just the financial picture. She founded the Council on Economic Priorities in 1969 and has been its leader ever since.

The range of topics covered by CEP research and publications is immense. In addition to the eight screens described in the last chapter, CEP publications have touched on South Africa, child labor, nuclear power, and product liability. The publications include a monthly newsletter, individual company reports, and an endless stream of books including the flagship consumer publication Shopping for a Better World. For more information on this publication or CEP, write or visit their web site:

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Always searching for points of leverage, Marlin has embarked over the past few years on a community problem solving effort with key business, government, and union leaders from across the globe to establish labor standards, worldwide. In its October 20, 1997 issue, Business Week reported that the effort was "a potential breakthrough not just on sweatshops, but on common labor standards for the global economy as a whole." Marlin has worked to create a certification process called SA8000 that can be thought of as something like a "good house-keeping seal of approval" for a product.