Green leader John Gormley has told a special conference his party was well placed to offer fundamental change in the new political dispensation in the North.
Speaking in Belfast at a special regional party agm on Saturday, he insisted only the Greens could offer real opposition to the Sinn Féin/DUP-led Executive at Stormont. He claimed the Northern Ireland Greens, as a political entity, had emerged as a result of the Good Friday agreement.
"The DUP and Sinn Féin have fought their war and signed their treaty. That is their legacy. It is now our turn," he said.
"We are the result of a political climate that soars far above sectarianism or religious identification - climate change, pollution and the challenges of the globalised economy do not stop at national borders. Sectarian politics aimed at one section of the community and not the other is one reason why so many in Northern Ireland feel disaffected - the Green Party offers these people a reason to vote."
The meeting, attended by some 100 members and elected representatives from throughout Ireland, had been called to discuss issues relevant to the party's development in the North.
"With the entry of the Green Party into government in Dublin, we will deliver not just for voters in the Republic but also for the people of Northern Ireland," Mr Gormley said.
"Using the cross-Border bodies and other joint initiatives on nuclear power, renewable energy, tourism and GM food, the party in Northern Ireland will approach voters at the next elections with evidence that Green power delivers a better quality of life for all."
There had never been a time when local circumstances for the party matched the opportunities that beckoned globally, he claimed.
"Climate change, energy security and the green economy have reached unprecedented levels of coverage - driving home the Green Party's message . . . that fundamental change is on the way. As voters in Northern Ireland emerge from conflict, they too will seek solutions to this change. It is up to us to prove that we are the right party for them; that we are committed and dependable in managing change, and providing answers to the questions posed by the major changes under way in our economy and in our climate."
The Greens were "not about short-term policies compromised by vested interests, stemming from insularity and narrow-mindedness or designed to alienate or offend," he said.
He vowed his party would work to ensure these vested interests would not "exert undue influence in political decision-making and do not undermine hope for policies that match the aspirations of a new generation born into peace and the prospect of real freedom from fear".
Welcoming Green councillors from across Northern Ireland, Mr Gormley prioritised sending more MLAs to Stormont.
Looking to this week's expected announcement of extensive local government reform in the North, he added: "These changes will offer challenges but also opportunities. It is our aim, in the North as well as the South, to have a Green representative sitting in every council chamber on the island." He welcomed that he had helped to launch a constituency group in south Belfast and looked forwarding to visiting the group newly formed in Antrim.
He concluded: "It is up to us now to get out there, to spread the word, to recruit more members and to compete aggressively and confidently in elections. We are members of the most progressive, responsible and dynamic political movement on this island, in these islands, and across the world."