Book Synopsis

The classic, comprehensive primer on sustainable living skills--from food and water to shelter and energy to first aid and crisis-management skills--fully revised and updated for 2026 and beyond

Matthew Stein's When Technology Fails prepares you to embark on the path toward sustainability. But unlike any other book, Stein not only shows you how to live green in seemingly stable times, but to live in the face of potential disasters, lasting days or years, coming in the form of social upheaval, economic meltdown, or environmental catastrophe.  

When Technology Fails covers the gamut:  

• The basics of installing a renewable energy system for your home or business 

• How to find and sterilize water in the face of utility failure 

• How to keep warm if you've been left temporarily homeless 

• Practical information for dealing with water-quality issues 

• Alternative health and first-aid techniques 

Each chapter describes skills for self-reliance in good times and bad. Chapters include:  

• A survey of the risks to the status quo 

• Supplies and preparation for short- and long-term emergencies 

• Emergency measures for survival 

• Prepping water, food, shelter, and clothing 

• First aid, low-tech medicine, and healing 

• Securing energy, heat, and power 

• Metalworking 

• Utensils and storage 

• Low-tech chemistry engineering, machines, and materials 

About the Author

Matthew Stein was an environmentalist, bestselling author, MIT-trained engineer, and green builder. As an inspiring speaker and visionary thinker, he was dedicated to helping people wake up and unite to shift our collective course from collapse to global renaissance. As an expert at self-reliance, emergency prep, and survival, his writings and work helped people prepare to weather continuing climate change and ecological decline. His books include When Technology Fails and When Disaster Strikes. Matthew passed away in 2018. 

Tim MacWelch is the author of seven outdoor survival books, three of which have been New York Times bestsellers. He also writes for Survival Dispatch and Outdoor Life magazine's survival website, OL Survival, and runs wilderness classes in Northern Virginia. Tim has appeared on several US TV shows including National Geographic Today, Wild Chronicles and Good Morning America talking about survival techniques.