When Technology Fails, Revised and Expanded: The Definitive Manual for Preparedness in an Uncertain World

by Matthew Stein, Tim MacWelch (Editor)

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   
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   
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  

Kindle Edition

Expected publication May 19, 2026

About the author

Matthew Stein holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from MIT. He is an engineer, author and building contractor. He has also worked as a schoolteacher, carpenter, and rock climbing and ski instructor. As the owner of Aloha Aina Builders, Stein has built hurricane resistant, energy efficient and environmentally friendly homes. As a mechanical engineer and president of Stein Design, he has designed consumer water filtration devices, commercial water filtration systems, photovoltaic roofing panels, medical bacteriological filters, drinking fountains, emergency chemical drench systems, computer disk drives, portable fiberglass buildings and automated assembly machinery for Open Energy, Hewlett Packard, Seagate, Plantronics, Duraflame, Haws, and IGT, among other companies. He currently resides with his wife Josie (see www.inner-journeys.com) in the High Sierra Mountains near Lake Tahoe, CA. Additionally, Stein holds a number of US patents and was a National Merit Scholar. For many years, Stein has pursued avid interests in renewable energy, alternative healing, sustainable growth, and preventative medicine. He is available for lectures and workshops. Check out his green building and mechanical engineering web site at www.stein-design.com and his book's web site at www.whentechfails.com."